URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika
Encyclopedia
URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika is a South African science fiction
animated television series created by the animation department of Octagon CSI, which later became Clockwork Zoo
. It started airing in October 2006, and ran until November 2009. It chronicles the adventures of a gang of teenagers who live in a futuristic Cape Town
, re-named iKapa City, the last known city on the planet, as they fight the evil industrialist overlord Maximilian Malice.
Pax Afrika, the son of the missing explorer Zingela Afrika, discovers that he has ancestral powers that allow him to see flashes of the future. Together with his friends, emo
mechanic T-Man, hacker
girl Keitu, and Una, Malice's rebellious daughter, Pax plans to find his father and save the city from Malice Industries. But his fate is also tied to the mysterious, hidden city of URBO - an environmental
El Dorado
located somewhere in the ruins of Africa
.
The show's head writer was science fiction novelist Lauren Beukes
.
SABC3 began airing the first 52-part series on 28 October 2006.
and the weather
, the ability to see the future
, and lightning-fast reflexes.
T-Man - Pax's best friend, an emo
mechanic. He is an incredible coward with a dry wit.
Keitu Anderson - A genius hacker
girl with an inexplicable crush on T-Man.
Una Malice - Maximilian Malice's rebellious daughter, who has been spoiled, but is a skilled hover-biker who can hold her own against Pax.
Teeter - Pax's mischievous little sister, who has an X-Ray
eye and is obsessed with the TV show "Frothy The Bear".
that made him the richest, most powerful person in the city.
Clemence 2-X4b - Malice's bumbling side-kick and robot
ics expert. He was abandoned in a factory full of robot arms and raised as one of their own, and now finds it hard to deal with real people.
Tumi Nyoka - Pax's nemesis, a psychopathic
bully who quickly became head of Malice's army.
Senyaka - One of Pax's ancestors, who grants Pax the power of mind control
and manipulation. He is shunned by Pax's other ancestors in the spirit realm.
The Happiness Enforcers - Malice's robot
army
. Most of them are addicted to the robot soap-opera "The Newly Manufactured And The Restless".
.
Mushu - Pax's mentor, who teaches him how to use his magical powers.
Ma Afrika - Pax and Teeter's long-suffering mother.
House - The home-management AI, MaliceSoft House 4.01 Beta. A bossy computer program that looks after Pax's house.
Zakes Turbo - An egocentric, half-witted hoverbike champion with the best hair in the city.
Chatta Kumalo - A vain, ultra-fashionable bionic reporter with a unicycle wheel instead of legs.
Leon and Deon - T-Man's interchangeable twin brothers, who are mechanics.
Stacy - Keitu's fashion-crazed sister.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
animated television series created by the animation department of Octagon CSI, which later became Clockwork Zoo
Clockwork Zoo (Company)
Clockwork Zoo, is the world's largest animation studio in South Africa.After creating the local action-adventure teen show Urbo: The Adventures of Pax Afrika, the company produced the animation for several international television series, including the fifth season of Caillou co-produced with the...
. It started airing in October 2006, and ran until November 2009. It chronicles the adventures of a gang of teenagers who live in a futuristic Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, re-named iKapa City, the last known city on the planet, as they fight the evil industrialist overlord Maximilian Malice.
Pax Afrika, the son of the missing explorer Zingela Afrika, discovers that he has ancestral powers that allow him to see flashes of the future. Together with his friends, emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
mechanic T-Man, hacker
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
girl Keitu, and Una, Malice's rebellious daughter, Pax plans to find his father and save the city from Malice Industries. But his fate is also tied to the mysterious, hidden city of URBO - an environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
El Dorado
El Dorado
El Dorado is the name of a Muisca tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and, as an initiation rite, dived into a highland lake.Later it became the name of a legendary "Lost City of Gold" that has fascinated – and so far eluded – explorers since the days of the Spanish Conquistadors...
located somewhere in the ruins of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
The show's head writer was science fiction novelist Lauren Beukes
Lauren Beukes
Lauren Beukes is a South African novelist, short story writer, journalist and TV scriptwriter. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband and her daughter.- Books :...
.
SABC3 began airing the first 52-part series on 28 October 2006.
Heroes
Pax Afrika - A rebellious teenager who discovers that he has been granted magical powers by his ancestors. They include the power to control lightLight
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
and the weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
, the ability to see the future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
, and lightning-fast reflexes.
T-Man - Pax's best friend, an emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
mechanic. He is an incredible coward with a dry wit.
Keitu Anderson - A genius hacker
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
girl with an inexplicable crush on T-Man.
Una Malice - Maximilian Malice's rebellious daughter, who has been spoiled, but is a skilled hover-biker who can hold her own against Pax.
Teeter - Pax's mischievous little sister, who has an X-Ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
eye and is obsessed with the TV show "Frothy The Bear".
Villains
Maximilian Malice - A former vacuum-cleaner salesman who stumbled upon the technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
that made him the richest, most powerful person in the city.
Clemence 2-X4b - Malice's bumbling side-kick and robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
ics expert. He was abandoned in a factory full of robot arms and raised as one of their own, and now finds it hard to deal with real people.
Tumi Nyoka - Pax's nemesis, a psychopathic
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
bully who quickly became head of Malice's army.
Senyaka - One of Pax's ancestors, who grants Pax the power of mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
and manipulation. He is shunned by Pax's other ancestors in the spirit realm.
The Happiness Enforcers - Malice's robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
. Most of them are addicted to the robot soap-opera "The Newly Manufactured And The Restless".
Other Recurring Characters
Frothy the Bear - A children's TV entertainer, reminiscent of Barney the Dinosaur. He teaches children the importance of buying products from the Malice CorporationCorporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
.
Mushu - Pax's mentor, who teaches him how to use his magical powers.
Ma Afrika - Pax and Teeter's long-suffering mother.
House - The home-management AI, MaliceSoft House 4.01 Beta. A bossy computer program that looks after Pax's house.
Zakes Turbo - An egocentric, half-witted hoverbike champion with the best hair in the city.
Chatta Kumalo - A vain, ultra-fashionable bionic reporter with a unicycle wheel instead of legs.
Leon and Deon - T-Man's interchangeable twin brothers, who are mechanics.
Stacy - Keitu's fashion-crazed sister.