Fuma Con – Guyana’s first anime and comic convention

(Caribbean Loop) – In 2021, Rafaela Oviedo and Juliana Lopes had a conversation about creating an anime and comic convention.

At the time, there was only one cosplay event hosted in Guyana by a large company, and though Guyana has an avid entertainment scene, events involving the realm of fandom would’ve never been touched before as an industry. 

It was in recognising this gap that Oviedo, CEO of Seishonen, envisioned events by which avenues for the youth would be provided so they could express their creative interests and showcase commerce and talent, such as was seen in the development of its signature event, Fuma Con.

“During the pandemic, Fuma Con was initially created to bring back some optimism and freedom to our youth that they may have missed due to social distancing. Community is essential for young people and having a safe place for youth to congregate is essential for their development,” said the team.

Their vision was realised with their first Fuma Con event being held in 2022, making it the first of its kind in Guyana to host almost 2000 young persons, from ages six to 30+ to cosplay as their favourite characters, support local businesses and cultivate friendships.

Lopes noted that many of FumaCon’s exhibitors were youth-led businesses between the ages of 18-25 years old.

It was incredibly important to them to create a space for young people to earn, as access to finance remains a major hurdle for many young persons, and has been a challenge for the organisers and the execution of their event.

A Cultural and Creative Industries grant from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport in 2022 helped them to execute their vision.

Fuma Con 2023 takes place on October 14.