申論題

       It started with a New Year's resolution.
       On January 1, 2018, Ivoirian graphic design student O'Plérou Grebet made a vow. He wanted to create an emoji a day for 365 days. Each of them would depict some element of life in Ivory Coast or West Africa more generally. He named his project Zouzoukwa, which means "picture" in Bété. Bété is his mother tongue. Grebet began posting his creations to his Instagram page, @creativorian.
       Grebet scoured his own life for inspiration. He started with his favorite snacks, like the grilled plantains wrapped in paper he bought from street vendors and the tiny plastic sacks of tart, sweet purple hibiscus juice he used to buy on his way to school. Then came the comb for his Afro. Then the zig-zaggy green and white jersey of the Nigerian national soccer team. He drew bags of hair extensions and kiosks selling cellphone airtime. He also drew the silver dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, an Ivoirian church certified by Guinness World Records as the largest in the world. "The goal was to share African culture in a colorful and different way," he said. "I didn't have any idea that people would like it so much." 
      The project took off, helped along, Grebet thinks, by West Africans' desire to see themselves reflected back in the tiny, intricate images that had become like a second language to his generation. Despite the growing number of skin colors, professions, foods and other types of emojis on their phones, it was still clear the usual set of emojis was created by and for people who didn't look like them.
       "People like to see the elements of their own daily life in their phone," he said. "And it's funny to have expressions that really correspond with the ones you use yourself." Take Zouzoukwa #78, a cartoon face pointing to his left eye. It is an expression that in Ivory Coast means, "I told you so."
       Grebet finished his emoji challenge in December 2018. By then, the project had taken on a life of its own. His creations were winning graphic design prizes. A French TV channel had enlisted him to create special emojis to use on social media during the 2018 World Cup. An advertising agency sent him a MacBook to use to make his designs. In January 2019, one year after the project first premiered, it became an app. Now, users can embed Zouzoukwa images as "stickers" in their text message or WhatsApp conversations.
       By October 2019, Grebet graduated with a degree in digital arts and images from the Institute of Sciences and Communication Techniques in Abidjan. At the same time, the Zouzoukwa app had been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Next, Grebet says he would like to submit some of his designs to Unicode Consortium. The organization is the gatekeeper for the "official" set of emojis that comes standard on most smartphones. Then, "I want to extend the project," he said. "Travel to other countries, immerse myself in their cultures and then transform them into emojis."