African Voices Matter In Children’s Literature

My Nunu is growing up fast and the older she gets the more I realise how Black and Brown children are unrepresented in literature, it’s shocking. If anything I hope this blog post encourages more authors to include BIPOC characters in literature (especially children’s literature) and write in our mother languages.

According to a 2018 study in the US, only 23% of all children’s books depicted characters from diverse backgrounds (10% were African/ African-American 318 books, 7% were Asian Pacific Islander/ Asian Pacific American 218 books, 5% were Latinix 170 books and 1% were American Indians/ First Nations 23 books) compared to the 50% that depicted white children and 27% that depicted animals.

This means my daughter (and others like her) do not see themselves in literature which impacts their view on beauty, self worth and other perceptual views they may have of themselves. To change the notions of “white” being better and “colour” being inferior we need to change perceptions. This starts at with what we consume from a young age especially in the media. This is why we need more more inclusivity.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

According to the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA), 65% of children’s books published between 2000 and 2015 were produced in English and Afrikaans, and just 7% in South Africa’s most widely spoken language, isiZulu. This is ridiculous in a country that has 11 official languages.

This is more than true for other African countries as well. Less and less of our languages are being recorded in literature which in part is perpetuating the extinction of African languages. We to keep our stories, folklores, cultures and traditions alive. The only vehicle we have to do this with is language. We need to keep these languages going for us to preserve who we are as people. This is why we need more representation.

Photo by Skylar Kang on Pexels.com

Let me quote Pastor J Maponga who said ‘If we strive to become like the white man, we deny the white man an opportunity to experience the black man’. Our languages are who we are, by producing literature that shows characters that look like us and literature that is written in our languages we give other the opportunity to indulge in our ways, to learn and understand who we are and where we come from. By so doing we create empathy for all. This is why we need more diversity.

Young African Authors to Watch

The Afrobloggers’ WinterABC has been challenging for me, staying consistent and on top of things can be hectic but we move. This post is my Stories of Africa post. If you know anything about me, you know I am passionate about the reading culture especially in little ones. I decided to put together a list of young authors to watch out for!

1. Onald Gwiriri

Onald Gwiriri – Image from Google

Onald became the youngest winner of Zimbabwe’s National Arts Merit Awards this year. The 10 year old was awarded the NAMA for Outstanding Children’s Book for his book titled ‘The Cursing Tortoise’.

2.Michelle Nkadimeng

Michelle Nkadimeng – Image from Google

Michelle (born 2008) became the youngest ever author South Africa has seen at the age of 7 when she published her first book titled ‘Waiting for the Waves’. The book was part of a series with 4 parts. The other three books in the series are ‘The little girl who believes in herself’, ‘The Little Mouse’, and ‘The Golden Ring’.

3. Wakatendeka Bwanya

Wakatendeka Bwanya – Image from Google

Waka Bwanya is a young author who wrote a book titled ‘My Teapot Country’ at age 8 inspired by her travels to Zimbabwe. She shares her real life experiences from her explorations of Zimbabwe. From the country’s landscape to its folklore and culture.

4. Stacey Fru

Stacey Fru – Image from Google

Having published her first book, ‘Smelly Cat’, at age 8 Stacey Fru now has 5 book titles under her belt. Stacey has received awards for ‘Smelly Cat’ as well as a Young Leader award. In 2015, The Stacey Fru Foundation was launched, it supports educational initiatives for children from under served communities.

It is safe to say African literature is in good hands! Add more young authors you know of in the comment section.

A Dancer’s Tale: A Book Review

Happy World Book Day!

I thought it fitting to do a review today. It's been a while since I last posted a children's book review so here is one.

A Dancer's Tale follows the story of Phyllis Spira, a South African prima ballerina.(I didn't know who she was, this book was my first time coming across her name). It takes us from her love of dance at a young age to the peak of her career and her endeavours after. There were a lot of things I discovered and loved about this lady in this book. This is a great book for 3 to 6 year olds.

Things I loved about the book:

1. It RHYMES! Loved the readability the writer did great. Its easy to read to little ones.
2. I loved how simple everything was made. It has enough information to help your little one grasp and understand Phyllis but is not overwhelming to little minds. 
3. The illustrations weren't my cup of tea but my Nunu seems to like them.
4. The story was engaging

What do you think my next children’s book review should be?

Idia of the Benin Kingdom : A Book Review

Firstly, can I just say I am loving the African Renaissance happening at the moment? As a parent to a young child, it is definitely happening at the right time for me! My child can see characters that look like her, realistic versions too. Girls doing the most in these books and for the most part and girls that existed. Real life women and took the world by its horns.

Idia’s story is such a magnificent one. The story takes us through Idia’s life while validating professions such as dance (and having parents that support their child in these creative spaces that aren’t considered careers such a long time ago), showing the importance of our African healing methods and that women can be warriors too.

Things I loved about the story:

1. Idia’s father – he is the perfect example of what a father should be to a daughter.

2. Idia’s mother – for being patient with her curious nature and teaching her what she wanted to know.

3. Idia – as a reminder that dreams do come true both figuratively and physically.

4. The fun facts about Idia at the back of the book.

BONUS: It comes with a link to an activity book!

Idia of the Benin Kingdom is a book by Ekiuwa Aire who wrote with hopes that her books will help kids develop an appreciation for African history, and to value the wisdom and pride that will come from this knowledge.

Ekiuwe also wrote Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba which I reviewed a while back, check out that review here.

The Girl Who Knows About Cars: A Book Review

Child, as I pick up our read this month, I am thinking about you. This story embodies everything I wish for you. I wish you grow up into strong woman, one who goes against the grain and takes up space. One who is comfortable in her skin and is always curious to learn. One who goes for the all the things in the hard spaces.

Our read this month is The Girl Who Knows About Cars. This book tells us a story of a girl who was curious to learn about cars and helped her father one day when the car broke down. This book is suitable for readers from the age of 5/6 as children start to read alone.

Things I loved about this book:

1. The story is easy to follow. Younger children who are not able to read on their own can follow the story through the illustrations and understand it.
2. Illustrations are relatable and look a lot like the average African.
3. Illustrations are big.
4. The story is easy to read and does not overwhelm little readers especially if they are still beginning to read on their own.
5. It emphasizes that a girls can do anything, African girls can do anything!

BONUS: It has an activity that would be fun to do with your child!

The Girl Who Knows About Cars, originally published in 1996 is a book by Amu Djoleto a Ghanian writer and educator. He has written five other children’s’ books,  one poetry book, three novels and four practice books.

Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba: A Book Review

Happy Children’s Book Week!

What better time to do a Children’s book review than this week? I decided that, hard as it may be, I am going to do my best to build a diverse and inclusive library for my daughter. As I do, I will pick from some of the books I come across and like and review them for you here.

We do not have much African children’s literature let alone reviews of whatever is out there. I have decided to fill that gap for other parents like me.

Image from ourancestories.com

Njinga of Ndongo and Matombe tells us the story of Queen Njinga from what we now know as Angola. It takes us from birth through to her death. Before this I had heard of the Queen and her deeds but did not have a lot to go by.

Things I loved about this book:

1.Can I just say l loved the illustrations in this book, I loved how they really look like real people from Africa. That warmed my heart. And that cover art♥️

2.I love how the author intentionally used phrases from a dying language through out the book. I also like that it wasnt too much (enough to learn a new word without distorting the story for non-speakers)

3.I love how mindful the author was not to overload information into the story. Kids will comprehend what they need to, keeping their minds engaged.

4.My daughter is 18 months so I read this story to her. Imagine my surprise when I came across the fact sheet at the back. Me being the curious being that I am this worked out perfect for me. I didn’t have ask Google more about Queen Njinga (I had every intention of asking once I was done). Everything was right there.

5.I also loved that it had a map with both present day countries and territories of old ruled by the Queen

Njinga of Ndongo and Matombe is a book by Ekiuwa Aire who wrote with hopes that her books will help kids develop an appreciation for African history, and to value the wisdom and pride that will come from this knowledge.

Ekiuwa also wrote Idia of the Benin Kingdom that I will also review in weeks to come. Both books are currently FREE on Amazon Kindle from May 4th – May 6th.