JOHANNESBURG (AP) — App developers have launched a series of uniquely African emojis of characters dressed in colorful traditional attire using popular local expressions and gestures.

Afro Emoji founder Nigerian-American Ayoola Daramola said there was a gap in the market for images representing African mobile phone users. The app offers 50 characters in 300 different stickers and translates the local expressions. The characters mainly use popular Nigerian phrases like "Abeg," meaning "I beg of you."

Afro Emoji spokeswoman Jessica Hope said the Washington D.C.-based company plans to expand its gallery to include images from other African cultures.

Emojis, small digital icons used to express an emotion or idea, are popular among mobile users, having evolved from simple emoticons made of punctuation marks to an array of symbols from winking faces to flags.