Aziza... African Elvish Youkai! (Patreon)

Dear Shrine Parishioners, thank you always for your support! This is Rebis.
Today, I bring you a lecture on Youkai girls!

Once again, I'm going to introduce a rare Youkai lore from Africa.
From the Republic of Benin, here's the 'Aziza'!

Aziza, hailing from West Africa - specifically Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin - are a benevolent supernatural race in local folklore. The Aziza reside in the forests, bestowing upon hunters and others both magic and knowledge, ranging from practical (like the use of fire) to spiritual. They are portrayed as little people and are said to live in anthills and silk-cotton trees.

There's something quite ”fairy-like” about these forest-dwelling Aziza.

Upon learning of this, I, Rebis, couldn’t help but think, ”They’re like Elves!” Traditional elf lore often presents elves as small beings, but over time and through various interpretations, they have become a staple fantasy race. If we ignore the small size characteristic of Aziza, it seemed intuitive that they could be characterized as African elves. (In fact, some artists seem to have depicted Aziza as a subrace of elves.)

While it might be necessary to exercise some caution when reinterpreting the legends of specific countries through the lens of familiar pop culture...

...that being said, manga is a form of entertainment, and it's important for it to be easily understood and approachable.

So, I decided to sketch the Aziza in ”Anime-Tamae!” world as ”an elf-like supernatural race from Africa.”

For the character design, I referred to the images of soldiers and female warriors from the once-existing Dahomey Kingdom in Benin. Dahomey was famous for its all-female military corps (known colloquially in the West as the Dahomey Amazons).

In addition, I recently learned from a Japanese TV show that...

Rice is also a staple food in the Republic of Benin, and there is even a student who come to Japan to study rice cultivation. Seeing a Benin woman expressing her love for Japanese rice, I thought an Aziza enjoying Japanese rice would be quite cute! As a Japanese person, it's naturally endearing when someone expresses their love for rice.

For hairstyles, I’ve drawn several patterns.

I have always wanted to draw a black female character with a shaved head, so I included that as one of the variations. All the hairstyles look great.

I believe Aziza can be depicted as a ”race of supernatural beings” like kappa or tengu, which allows for the portrayal of characters with diverse hairstyles and features!

For this installment, I’ve delivered some color sketches to solidify the image.

The next time I draw, I’d love to depict their huge butts as well!