The growing interest in bilingual education in sub-Saharan Africa has highlighted an urgent need for reading material in African languages. Increasingly, parents and educators, conscious of the strategic value of indigenous language on identity construction, encourage or educate children to know and speak at least one local language. However, parents are usually faced with many challenges whenever they attempt to find bilingual books in their local languages. It’s well known that it’s relatively difficult to access culturally diverse and relevant children’s books for African kids. But that difficulty is greater for multilingual books from African authors or illustrators, or those whose bilingual version is with one African indigenous language. Evidently, there are many factors that have contributed to the current scarcity of bilingual children’s books in our local markets and bookstores. I will briefly explore some of these reasons. Financial and technical obstacles Although there is evidence of a growing interest in producing books in local languages, the number of titles is constrained by funding. The challenges for authors include the need to understand the ingredients for successful children’s books and the sensitivity necessary to negotiate the linguistic challenges associated with a newly emergent genre in African languages. Support, in the form of competitions and workshops, relies on external funding and expertise and offers only temporary solutions. Some sounds untranslatable into print Publishing in local African languages requires new resources that are different from the existing international languages. For example, the publisher may need to buy additional equipment or software that can handle African signs and symbols. Insufficient readership in African indigenous languages Many publishers would tell you that it’s a very risky investment to publish a book (either for children or not) in an indigenous language because it usually limits the potential number of people who can purchase and read it. Since a publisher is more of a businessman than a philanthropist, s(he) would naturally prefer publishing in a language that is more marketable with a greater potential of return on investments (ROI). So not publishing multilingual books in African indigenous languages because of insufficient economic gain is comprehensible, but let’s be bold and future-minded as Ngugi Wa Thiongo and other African authors, publishers, and book lovers who have consistently taken that "risk.". Caine Prize nominee and literary superstar Chimamanda Adichie now refuses to have a glossary at the end of her books and has stopped italicizing foreign words. South Africa tries to promote all its 11 national languages, and some anthologies containing different languages have been published. Government departments are mandated by law to avail publications in all national languages, but they don’t always comply. The best practices of the South African publishing industry in indigenous languages could be learned by other African nations. Contemporary parents prefer books in English or French Some parents would deliberately not look for multilingual books because they consider English and French to be global languages with more privileges and opportunities for their kids. I have many friends who themselves aren’t able to speak any indigenous languages, and evidently their kids too. Therefore, these parents would naturally not go for multilingual books except they are sensitized to their value and given the opportunity to access such books easily. For such cases, I believe eBooks and audio formats are very convenient to enable such kids and also parents to read and hear stories in an indigenous language. Here is our list of 37 apps and platforms proposing children’s books and stories for Africans and Blacks. The literary blogger James Murua has suggested 8 books by African authors that have been translated into several languages. If you are interested in buying children's books in Kiswahili, then have a look at this collection from this Tanzanian publisher, Mkukinanyota . The difficult access to literary translators in African languages Currently, they are few experts in literary translation from English or French to African indigenous languages. So even when a publisher or author may desire to have a multilingual book, s/he may have difficulty finding a competent literary translator in the language he desires. This book provides African perspectives on literary translation. Let's, however, indicate that there are increasingly more initiatives that promote the writing, publishing, and translation of books into African indigenous languages. Let’s mention, for example, the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature , which recognizes writing in African languages and encourages translation from, between, and into African languages. Here is a very interesting interview with the prize founders—literary academic Lizzy Attree and literature professor Mukoma Wa Ngugi—on the challenges of growing literature in African languages. African language publishing is progressively advancing. Even though the demise of the  Noma Award  for Publishing in Africa was a hard time, there is still hope: book festivals are  growing , literary awards are increasing, and political leaders are increasingly aware of the need to value and support indigenous languages in the education and publishing industry.  Jalada Journal  is a good example of how attitudes toward writing in African languages have changed for the better. In 2015, Jalada took a  short story written by Ngugi Mukoma in Gikuyu and had it translated into close to 100 languages. This made it the most translated African short story. But the genius of their initiative was that most of the translations were between African languages. There were also increasing conversations on the need to increase translation to African indigenous languages. One of such was organized by World Kid Literature, and the recording is accessible here: If you are interested in receiving monthly updates about African children's literature, kindly subscribe to our newsletter:

I consider translation as a way of increasing the amount of reading material for African children. Translation is an act of re-creation, sharing, and reciprocal development between readers and writers of different languages. The potential of translation to greatly increase output with minimal effort is clear. Not all, however, feel comfortable with the use of translation as a way of increasing the amount of reading material for African children. Sou pequena? Na ke monyane? Brazilian Portuguese-Sesotho/Southern Sotho: Children's Picture Book (Bilingual Edition). You can buy it on Amazon There are, however, some concerns about the cultural appropriateness of some of the books being translated into African languages. Sometimes, translations don’t really reflect the aspirations and the concerns of the very target groups that the publisher tries to reach . So publishers would rather go for original texts than translations. Another worry is that translation is detrimental to the development of original literature in African languages , a view implicit, for instance, in the Ithuba Project , which insists that materials are generated in the mother tongue Translation dilemma encountered by publishers Most African publishers argue that, while the most spoken home languages are African languages, there is little reader demand for African language books , and that it would not be financially viable for them to publish books in these languages. They feel that expansion into the trade market with African language books is unrealistic , citing reasons such as the pervasiveness of oral culture, lack of disposable income, and low levels of literacy. However, this interpretation is overly simplistic, because Africans do read when the content is affordable, accessible, and of interest. Moreover, African language books are still very much only associated with school education . The international status of English and the perceived inferiority of African languages add to this problem. However, if publishers published more African language books outside the school market, more people would read these texts. I do recognize that publishers are businesses who need to publish where there is a market to make a profit. Authors also realize this and often—even though they are mother-tongue speakers of African languages—prefer to write in English, French, or Portuguese in order to get published and to ensure a wider audience for their book(s). Challenges for translators of children's books The pool of people available to undertake the translation of books for children is small, and complaints about the quality of translation are frequent. While it is easy to find local language translators in other countries such as Russia, Serbia, Arabic, etc., it’s difficult to find an expert translator in African languages. Other challenges for translators include the high level of specialism required for working with children’s literature and issues around standardization . Specialist skills The specialist skills required when translating for children are often underestimated. Unlike translating fiction for adults, a wide range of other factors need to be considered when translating for children, such as who the reader is (a child or an adult reading aloud). Translating for children is therefore widely considered to be more difficult than translating for adults because of the need to take into consideration the implied reader, the fluent child reader, or the adult reading to the child. Picture books, where words and images work to produce an inseparable whole, are by far the largest category of children’s books and create particular challenges. The text needs to ‘talk’ or closely relate to the pictures on the same page and translators need to be able to'read’ this relationship. In addition, the space available for the translation can be a challenge when different languages require different amounts of text. Translators also need to deal with visual cultural differences, such as the symbolism of colors or different attitudes towards animals. A further complication is that picture books are intended to be read aloud to children. Translators, therefore, need to take account of features that affect the rhythmic totality of a performance, including sentence length, punctuation, page openings, and turnings. It is also the case that children’s books are more likely to be adapted to the needs of the target audience than to be translated, a process that can involve additions as well as deletions. There is very little consensus about what constitutes a ‘good’ translation of a children’s book . Some translators emphasize truth to the text; others attach greater importance to being true to the reader, believing that change is sometimes essential if the translated text is to work for the target audience. Translators operating in this field need not only to be proficient linguists but also to have an in-depth knowledge of books for children, and there is a serious shortage of people with the relevant breadth of experience. This situation is, of course, by no means limited to African languages. A similar scenario has been described, for instance, in relation to the problems experienced in producing Asian language translations of children’s books in the United Kingdom by Edwards and Walker in 1995. Successful translations are often the result of teamwork and negotiation. Through teamwork, illustrators, authors, translators, publishers, and different readers meet and influence each other. The professionalization of translators with the relevant specialist skills is a journey. In South Africa, it took the PRAESA Early Literacy Unit, over 8 years, to develop professional translators of children's books in Xhosa. It’s only through extensive experience of using good-quality books with children in schools and reading clubs that they can now legitimately consider themselves experts in both isiXhosa and in children’s literature. Standardization The translation of African language literature for children is further complicated by the varying stages of standardization of the different languages. Two competing trends can be detected in African linguistics: diversification and homogenization. At one extreme, it is estimated that in excess of 2300 languages are spoken in Africa; at the other extreme, some writers contend that 75-80% of all sub-Saharan Africans speak one of between 12 and 16 root languages (Prah 2009). The situation in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal, where many languages are used, reflects the propensity for diversification. Language identification remains a highly political and sociocultural exercise; having made a personal investment in learning a particular variety, most people, including translators, demonstrate strong loyalty to that variety. South African publishers are very aware of the resulting tensions: If one develops materials in Setswana, one will find that people, say in Kimberley or areas outside the Hurutsi, look at those materials and say, 'Ah, this isn’t proper Setswana; this isn’t my Setswana; this is Hurutsi Setswana’. And it’s true of all South African national languages. Thus, the work that remains to be done in the area of terminology has important implications for the economics of translation. As the director of an agency explained, in European languages, you can average roughly 2500 words per day. African languages, you cut it down to 1100 per day, so less than half... if there’s not a term, it needs to be described. There’s a lot more thinking going into developing the languages. Conclusion As translation becomes increasingly professionalized, it is interesting to note that children's book publishers in Africa and globally are increasingly outsourcing work to agencies. This approach has the advantage of ensuring input from three sources: the translator, the editor, and the proofreader. Since most are working virtually and anonymously on the same project, they are able to bypass status issues. Overall, the development of children’s literature in African languages is a work in progress, and we shouldn’t underestimate the advances that have already been achieved. This article has been partially inspired by Edwards, V., and Ngwaru, J. M. (2011). African language publishing for children in South Africa: challenges for translators. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 14(5), 589-602. Available at: http://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ied/15 The work of the Ithuba Writing Project targeted the development of stories for each of the intermediate grades (4-6) across each of the three target genres (health, science literacy, and numeracy). This yielded a targeted number of 280 titles, of which the partners in this project selected the most appropriate and well-developed titles for publication purposes. Of those titles, 140 are written in the nine official and indigenous languages of South Africa, and 140 are translated into English versions.

From the 9th to 12 September 2021, Muna Kalati was represented through its Director Christian Elongué at the 37th Ibby Children’s Book International Congress In Moscow, under the theme « Great Big World Through Children’s Books: National and Foreign Literature — Role, Value, Impact on Young Readers in Different Countries ». It was an opportunity to explore diversity of themes, characters, issues in children’s literature of the world, to discuss cultural variety which doesn’t prevent them from interweaving and interacting. Even though the preparation of the bit were quite challenging because of the COVID pandemic, the event was highly successful with delegates from over 56 countries reunited to explore on trending issues affecting the global children book industry. On  September 9, 2021 , he visited  the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts ,  the Dal State Museum of History of Russian Literature ,  the Russian State Library, the Library for Foreign Literature and the publishing house 'Samokat' where he was surprisingly noticed that black African children books were difficultly available in the existing collections and this triggered collaboration to increase not only the awareness but also the availability and access of quality children books from African authors and illustrators in Russian libraries and bookstores. On September 10, 2021 , during the Opening Ceremony, our executive Director Christian Elongué gave a highly acclaimed keynote lecture on the need to increase diversity in children literature by making sure that African, Black and Latino American children books were accessible to all children. His speech arouse interest on Cameroonian children books publishers and the work that is being done by digital platforms to increase access to diverse content to kids so that there would be more international understanding and peace across culture. His presentation could be viewed here and the PowerPoint is available here . Elongue also contributed to the round table discussions with the laureates of the H. C. Andersen Award: Albertine (Switzerland) – book illustrator, laureate of the HCAA (2020) Jacqueline Woodson  (USA) -- writer, laureate of the HCAA (2020) Roger Mellо  (Brazil) – illustrator, laureate of the HCAA (2014) David Almond  (Great Britain) – writer, laureate of the Hans Christian Andersen Award (2010) Cao Wenxuan  (China) – novelist, professor, laureate of the HCAA (2016) Igor Oleynikov  (Russia) – book illustrator, laureate of HCAA (2018). He contributed by emphasizing the gender and racial barriers that women or people of minorities may encounter in the children book industry and also shared ways to promote tolerance and respect for diverse cultures by providing access to the best of children's literature from around the world. AWARD CEREMONY OF THE WINNERS OF THE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AWARDS 2020 On  September 11, 2021, the winners of The Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2020 , writer Jacqueline Woodson from the United States and artist Albertina from Switzerland, received their awards at  the Pashkov House .  Elongué was also a representative of IBBY Cameroon which officially joined IBBY since 2017 thanks to the dynamism of Mr. Joel Eboueme. On September 11, during panel sessions on global children literature, Christian Elongué, as the representative of IBBY Cameroon how parents have little access to the books and stories from their youth to pass on to the next generation. Many children in Africa grow up without knowledge of their family's heritage and first language.  A fundamental principle of IBBY Cameroon is that children and their families deserve to have access to the books of their culture. IBBY Cameroon works collaboratively with Muna Kalati to promote books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from Africa and throughout the world.  AWARDING OF DIPLOMAS OF THE IBBY HONOUR LIST On that same day, the Russian State Children's Library  held the awarding ceremony of diplomas of the IBBY Honour List. The diplomas were personally awarded to Samah Abu Bakr Ezzat, a writer from Egypt, Russian artist  Olga Monina , translators Daniel González-Muniz from Costa Rica, João Guimarães from Brazil,  Olga Drobot  and Olga Vasilyeva from Russia and Ivan Pilkin from Moldova. On Sunday 12 September, 2021, our executive Director facilitated another panel discussion around his paper on Cameroon’ children and young adult literature from 1956 to 2016. He indicated the history of Cameroonian children book publishers such as Akoma Mba, CLE, and association such as AILE Cameroon, in the development of Cameroon children literature; highlighted the fact that most illustrators and authors of Cameroonian children books were residing in France, Belgium or Europe and the influence of French publishers on the local book industry since most educational texbooks and learning materials are produced by French publishers. That Sunday, there was also a presentation on the book on the history of Bookbird magazine by Valerie Coghlan  and  Evelyn Freeman. Apart from active work and professional experience exchange, participation in the Congress, brought him joy of companionship, feeling of being a part of the community of colleagues and friends, new social interactions and amazing sightseeing in Moscow. On September 12, 2021, the 37th IBBY World Congress was over. For three days, Moscow was the central place for discussion on children's literature's most relevant issues. Projects on promotion of children's reading, reports on the influence of books on personality development, discussions on the details of creating literature for children and teenagers – all this and much more were in the focus of Congress participants’ attention. During the closing ceremony, Christian Elongué encouraged all children book actors to continue creating outstanding children books that exhibits tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas. Conclusion Being a member and taking active part in IBBY programmes and projects is a unique opportunity to stay involved in a global community of specialists on children's and young adult’s literature and in modern global book culture in general. It was a great honour for Muna Kalati and IBBY Cameroon and we feel joy and, of course, responsibility. International partnerships in every part of our lives become increasingly valuable and important in this troubled world, and thus the IBBY mission is so vital. Joint work of representatives of dozens of countries, whose main goal is to familiarize and expose children to the best books, is a bridge between people that helps us to understand each other better and to build good neighbourly relations between countries; it is a genuine path to mutual respect and friendship.

Christian Elongué is a social entrepreneur of Cameroonian origin with an Afropolitan identity, working to promote education and African culture through Muna Kalati, a pan-African association bringing together parents, authors, publishers, and other children's book enthusiasts. Passionate about reading since my early childhood, I devoured every week nearly 6 books of about 200 pages each since the age of 11 years. I was introduced to reading through comic books such as Rodeo, Zembla, Kiwi, Tex, Blek le Roc, PICSOU, Mickey Mouse, and other books from the Pink Library. Through these readings and discoveries of foreign cultures, elsewhere seemed better; Paris rhymed with paradise, and I became impatient to get my BAC in order to go to France, where I could see the snow and touch the Eiffel Tower... Between the ages of 12 and 17, tired of comics, I began devouring Gérard de Villiers' SAS, whose epic tales of espionage and sometimes erotica fired my libido. Although SAS books were generally reserved for adults, I read my father's because I couldn't find any book that was stimulating enough to satisfy my intellectual curiosity. In less than three years, I had read nearly 186 SAS, sometimes reading in the classroom from my locker when the teacher's back was turned or at night when the parents imagined me asleep. It was at university with the pan-African associative movements and my Master's degree in "Africa and Globalization" that I discovered the rich African past and became aware of my cultural alienation. I knew more about the history of France, Great Britain, and Belgium than that of Cameroon, and I realized that the books of my childhood had largely contributed to it. I realized that children's and youth literature was a powerful tool for building the imagination and identity of young Africans and for reducing illegal immigration and low civic and patriotic awareness. But I realized with regret that African children's books were little known and accessible. The authors of books for adults were more publicized, celebrated, and promoted than those of children's literature, which was considered a marginal field, a ghetto, or a sector of little interest reserved for amateur authors. Revolted by this lack of interest and the absence of media specializing in the promotion of African books or Afro-descendants, I began a scientific study of 4 years to establish an inventory of African children's literature. A book published in 2019 by L'Harmattan gathers the main findings, and the Muna Kalati Association is the practical dimension. Today, 4 years after its creation, Muna Kalati federates a large network of authors, parents, publishers, and lovers of children's literature who exchange best practices and collaborate for better visibility and access to books with diverse and culturally relevant contents for young people. We organize the "Lecture Plaisir" workshops to introduce children to reading through theater, debate, slam, and support reading projects on the continent. To date, we remain one of the few digital companies specializing in the support and promotion of authors, publishers, and actors in the field of youth books. Our ambition is to see more African children reading diverse and rich cultural contents for the construction of a pan-African identity and to see more African countries adopting a national policy on children's books. If you are an author, publisher, or parent, our platform offers you children's book recommendations, news, and collaboration opportunities across Africa and the world. The original French version of this interview was published here .

This week's book review is for Africa, Amazing Africa by Atinuke. The book was published by Walker Books on 3rd October 2019 and can be purchased on  Amazon . Atinuke’s first non-fiction title is a major publishing event: a celebration of all 55 countries on the African continent! Her beautifully-written text captures Africa’s unique mix of the modern and the traditional as she explores its geography, its peoples, its animals, its history, its resources, and its cultural diversity. The book divides Africa into five sections: South, East, West, Central, and North, each with its own introduction. This is followed by a page per country, containing a delightful mix of friendly, informative text and colorful illustrations. The richest king, the tallest sand dunes, and the biggest waterfall on the planet are all here, alongside drummers, cocoa growers, inventors, balancing stones, salt lakes, high-tech cities, and nomads who use GPS! One of the things Erin showed a real interest in was the pyramids in Egypt. So, I thought a book about Africa would be something she would enjoy! Africa, Amazing Africa is set up in to different sections and splits everywhere up by region and then country. There is a really colourful map at the beginning of the book with all of the country names and also a picture of something from that place. The fun images really help children to pick out something they might be interested in and then you can go from there. Each page looks at a different country, and there is both text and images to help both you and your child learn about somewhere new. I really love that this book features every country in Africa because there is so much that I don’t know myself, so it’s been a lot of fun to read and learn with Erin. She often tells me I’m not a teacher and that I don’t know everything, so it was really nice to learn with her. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and the information is really engaging and quite snappy in places. There are no huge paragraphs to read through, so children won’t get bored or stop paying attention too quickly. Africa, Amazing Africa is one of those books that could last you for years. Erin is nearly 4 now and can quite happily read about one or two places at a time and then go back to it another day. I’m sure it will also come in really handy when she’s in school after next year and she learns about different places. This review was originally published here by LYNDSEY OHALLORAN

On 9th October 2021, our Executive Director Christian Elongué gave a public talk on the topic “ Who is the true alpha of the family?" during the festival " Saint-Petersburg Book Lighthouse, " moderated by Nadezhda Filimonova and Evgeniia Trofimova from the Kronshtadt children’s library in Russia. The other guest of the festival was Anna Krasilshchik , a Russian writer, translator, and author of children’s books "Three Fourth" and "Let's Go to Unalashka.”. Christian Elongué met Filimonova and Evgeniia during the 37th IBBY Congress in Russia, where they got interested in knowing more about African children's literature, and this event was an opportunity to explore parenting styles in the 21st century, both from a Russian and African children's literature perspective. Even though we all want to be the best parents, there is often conflicting advice on how to raise a kid who is confident, kind, and successful. And every aspect of being a parent has been more complicated and more fraught during the pandemic, with parents managing complex new assignments and anxious new decisions, all while handling the regular questions that come up in daily life with the children we love. Elongué thus explained that parenting styles must be adapted and personnalized to the kids and teens personalities. There is no one right way to raise a child. It’s important to focus on balancing priorities, juggling responsibilities, and quickly flipping between the needs of children, other family members, and yourself. Research confirms biblical advice on how to raise self-reliant children with high self-esteem. It is than authoritarian. You want your child to listen, respect, and trust you rather than fear you. You want to be supportive, but not a hovering helicopter parent.  All of these things are easy to set as goals, but. As your child develops, the challenges will change, and your thinking may evolve, but  your approach should be consistent, firm, and loving. We should help kids to learn through experience since making an effort builds confidence and helps them learn to tackle challenges. We should calibrate our expectations about what our kids are capable of doing independently. How can children's books help in raising confident kids? The second part of the public talk explored the influence of reading in the education of self-confident kids. The Russian author Anna explained how proving quality children’s books can help kids acquire the values and principles that would help them be obedient, respectful, and self-reliant. Christian Elongué shared some Russian fairy tales that are known in some parts of Africa, such as: Vasilisa the Beautiful: The story of a beautiful daughter of a merchant who married a second time after his first wife had died. The stepmother hated Vasilisa and gave her lots of hard work. The jealous stepmother decided to move the family closer into the forest where a Russian evil witch, Baba Yaga , lived. She hoped that Baba Yaga would eat the girl, and when it didn’t succeed, the stepmother and the other daughters decided to send Valeria directly there. You can purchase it here Father Frost: This is another story of a cruel stepmother who wanted to marry her favorite daughter, who was less attractive than Nastya, her second daughter. Despite several attempts, the potential husbands instantly preferred Nastya. The old woman then decides to send Nastya away. She tells her husband to take her to the forest in the middle of winter and leave her there to die. The inhabitants of the forest, including Father Frost, a human depiction of the cold, decide to help Nastya because of her kindness. Elongué also wrote some African and Afro-American books that addressed the issue of parenting in the 21st century, using African books. Some of them are below: In his last remarks, Elongué indicated that parenting was all about making the right combination of love, freedom, and discipline.  Parenting will always require sacrifices, especially in times of crisis or change when things aren’t going as we expected. So always do your best, trust Christ's wisdom, and enjoy the learning journey. You can access the PowerPoint from the Christian Elongué presentation below:

In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Ghana, Writers Project of Ghana organised the fifth edition of "Pa Gya! A Literary Festival in Accra" from 15th October to 17th October 2021. The festival seeks to engage the general public on a literary platform, and to showcase writers and their craft. As such, various activities such as readings, panel discussions, poetry and story-telling sessions, book launches, the launch of literary prizes and performance of different literary forms are being planned for the two-day festival. Muna Kalati’s Executive Director, Christian Elongué, was invited to intervene in a panel discussion on multilingual publishing in indigenous African languages on Sunday, 17th   October 2021 together with Patron Kokou Henekou and Galley K. Dzifa. After the very fruitful panel discussions, he had the opportunity to exchange virtually with Dr. Martin Egblewogbe , founder of  Writers' Project Ghana (WPG) and  Pa Gya! Literary Festival and below are his impressions about the just ended festival and the WPG. Could you tell us about Pa Gya! Literary Festival ? The literary festival is meant to bring about greater interactions of people involved in writing, books, and publishing and to help foster an increased interest in literature Where did you get the idea to set up such an initiative? The festival was created as a natural extension to the Writers Project of Ghana and Goethe-Institute Ghana's long-running reading series since 2010. It is was a culmination of each year's events of readings and interactions from the Writers Project of Ghana What is its added value? Writers Project of Ghana offers a unique perspective on literature programming across board . What progress have been made to date? The festival has grown considerably since its inception in 2017. The geographical span of invited writers and guests includes Ghana (primarily), the US, UK, Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Togo, Cameroon, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Zambia, Canada, Singapore, etc Are you collaborating with other entrepreneurs in your industry? Writers Project collaborates widely with many other organisations working in books, literature and publishing in Ghana and outside Ghana. What are your current sources of funding? Writers Project of Ghana is run completely from funding and support received from agencies, individuals, and corporations. What are the main challenges or difficulties you encounter in carrying out your project? Funding remains the main challenge of the Writers Project of Ghana How has the COVID-19 impacted your work? What measures did you developed to adapt and build resilience? In response to Covid-19, Writers Project of Ghana moved to make our programmes available online as mixed-mode via social media platforms, and we also introduced online-only programming. What support or assistance would you need to increase the impact of your initiative and accelerate its development? WPG needs grant assistance to run. What is the impact of your initiative on the promotion of reading and culture? Writers Project of Ghana has had significant impact on literature activities since inception in 2010. From creating the longest running public reading series, a large international literature festival, a weekly radio show since 2009, several published books, a number of regular workshop series, WPG has a large and positive impact on the literature space in Ghana and is well known outside Ghana as well.

It’s often difficult for African parents to find books for their kids online. Below is a list of diasporic publishers specialized in African and Afro-american children books. You can find much more interesting content on their respective website which have directly been added to ease things. 1. LITTLE PROUD KID Little Proud Kid  was founded by Georgia Lobban, a mom on a mission. Wanting to reflect her daughter’s beauty through books and dolls, she was surprised to find that there were so few options available. The company sells culturally relevant books for children 3-15+ years old, and covers a truly diverse range of perspectives beyond race and gender to different countries of origin and physical abilities, too. You can purchase  Full, Full, Full of Love  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 2. DENENE MILLNER BOOKS Denene Millner Books “is a love letter to children of color who deserve to see their beauty and humanity in the most remarkable form of entertainment on the planet: books.” The books bring a sweet and relatable take on the everyday, from having an invisible friend like in  There’s a Dragon in My Closet  to performing in the choir in  Early Sunday Morning  to getting a haircut in  Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut , which just may have won every possible award and recognition available in children’s books. You can purchase  Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 3. JUST US BOOKS Necessity remains the mother of invention—and the need “for children’s books that reflected the diversity of Black history, heritage and experiences” led parents Wade and Cheryl Hudson to launch  Just Us Books  30 years ago. Out of the desire to provide children with books which accurately depict Black experiences and heritage, the Hudson’s managed to create a company that is now regarded as a renowned leader in multicultural publishing. When it comes to genres, they feature board & pre-k books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade books, and several others on the website. At present, Just Us Books accept both agented and unagented queries for middle reader titles (ages 9-12), picture books, and for chapter books (ages 7-9). The publishing company has received accolades over the years from grown ups and children alike for their wide array of children’s and young adult books. You can purchase  Songs I Love to Sing  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 4. THE BROWN BOOKSHELF The Brown Bookshelf has made it their mission to shine a spotlight on the many Black authors and illustrators creating books for African-American children. You can  follow their blog  to learn about just released books or celebrate old-school pioneers in children’s literature. You can purchase  No Small Potatoes  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 5. PLUM STREET PRESS Plum Street Press  is the publisher behind the 5-year-old-boy-genius-with-a-fro book series, and more. You can also purchase  Jaden Toussaint: The Greatest Episode 1  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 6. KUJICHAGULIA PRESS Kujichagulia Press  (kujichagulia means “self-determination”) offers Black children and families educational materials steeped in an Afrocentric worldview. You can purchase  Telling Time With Benjamin Banneker and Sekou  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 7. LEE AND LOW BOOKS Founded in 1991, Lee & Low Books is a New York-based multicultural children’s book publisher. Their website features six main categories, respectively PreK – Grade 2, Grades 3 – 6, Grades 6 – 8, Grades 9 – 12, leveled reading, and cultures. The latter includes books of African/African American interest, Asian/Asian American interest, Latino interest, as well as a few others. Lee and Low Books  is  known  in book publishing for publishing diverse titles for kids of all ages. You can buy Telling Time With Benjamin Banneker and s ekou  on  Amazon 8. EOTO BOOKS Eoto Books  is a boutique publisher that carries books focused on mining African-Americans rich history for stories and lessons. “ 9. MAHOGANY BOOKS Online bookstore  Mahogany Books  has a number of young adult fiction across genres to choose from, as well as nonfiction books that cover African-American history, race, and politics. You can purchase  A Blade So Black  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop 1 0 . MAKE A WAY MEDIA Books can teach kids hard facts like geography and history, and soft, yet-no-less-important, skills like empathy and kindness. Make A Way Media  is definitely meant to teach the latter. Its books focus on spreading positivity and instilling gratitude with each turn of the page. You can purchase  If a Caterpillar Can Fly, Why Can’t I?  on  Amazon  or  Bookshop . 11. TANGLED PRESS Tangled Press ’ founding story is one that many a parent can relate to: Hearing their beautiful, brown baby tell them  they wish they were white  and had blonde, straight hair. Yolanda created the characters Curlilocks and Story Bird Dance—heroines with brown skin and big curly hair—for her daughter, and other readers who need the reminder that the skin they’re in is beautiful and special. You can purchase Big Bad hairbrush on  Amazon . 12. WE READ TOO The  We Read Too  app, created by developer Kaya Thomas, brings a number of diverse authors and titles right in the palm of your hand. You can discover hundreds of books written by or featuring people of color. You can purchase  The Mighty Miss Malone  on  Amazon . 1 3 . KOKILA Penguin Young Readers has launched  Kokila , “a new imprint which will be dedicated to centering stories from the margins with books that add nuance and depth to the way children and young adults see the world and their place in it.” 14. THE ENGLISH SCHOOLHOUSE The English Schoolhouse  is a boutique publishing house featuring a variety of Black children’s books, from fantastical tales of myths and legends to bedtime stories. You can purchase  Elijah Everett, Kid Principal  on  Amazon . 15. Mahogany Books The product of Ramunda and Mahogany Young’s desire to empower the people who belong to their culture, Mahogany Books is a publishing company currently located in Washington, DC. Initially an online bookstore, the business has been featured in NBC, Vanity Fair Magazine, the Washington Post, as well as in a few more outlets. At present, Mahogany Books is a publisher that promotes books by, for, and about people of the African Diaspora. They are mainly interested in fiction, children & young adult, cultural literature, and in nonfiction. The second category involves books for children of ages 0-8, 9-12, as well as for teenagers. A few examples of such titles are  Bronzeville – Boys and Girls , written by Gwendolyn Brooks and illustrated by Faith Ringgold, and  Malcolm Little: The Little Boy Who Grew Up To Become Malcolm X , written by Ilyasah Shabazz and illustrated by AG Ford. In order to be able to collaborate with them, your books have to be distributed by their primary vendor, which is Ingram Books Group. If this is the case, feel free to complete and send this  form  – they will let you know if they’re interested. To learn more, click  here . 16. Third World Press Foundation With an experience of more than 50 years in the field, Third World Press is a foundation established by Haki R. Madhubuti in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. Since their targeted market consists of African American readers, it seems rather self-explanatory that their publications tackle African American themes, issues, and critique for the most part – this is because their purpose is that of helping their audience learn about cultural traditions, while also trying to reach people who are either young, or less scholarly-focused. 17. Brown Girls Books Located in the US, Brown Girls Books is a boutique  publishing company  established by Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley. Victoria is one of the most renowned African-American novelists in the country and the winner of the Phyllis Wheatley Award, among others, while ReShonda is an award-winning TV and newspaper journalist, and the author of more than 40 books. References

Mr. Simpson Muhwezi is the Founder and Creative Director of Wandiika Literacy Initiative, a social enterprise whose mission is to use story-writing to help children develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills; the skills he strongly believes are vital not only for their academic performance but also their survival and prosperity in the 21st Century. He curates the initiative’s flagship programme, Wandiika Children’s Writing Prize, an annual creative writing competition. He is also a writer, of mainly children’s stories . Could you tell us about your initiative? (Its objectives, target and expected results). In the long-term, Wandiika seeks to raise a generation of Ugandans with the necessary skills to solve their own problems. We can only achieve this if our children are helped with good learning practices. A child who reads and writes regularly will most likely be more confident, think faster and express themselves better. Once these habits have been established in an individual’s life at an early age, the possibility of having globally competitive citizens in future is greater. Where did you get the idea to set up such an initiative? (What was your inspiration, why this initiative? Why issue or problem(s) are you trying to solve?)  In my school visits as storyteller and author, I noticed a lot of gaps in Uganda’s education. A typical Ugandan primary school pupil is one who spends most of their school hours in class, taking notes, revising or cramming, without enough time to apply or reflect on the knowledge. I saw the need to disrupt this pattern, and story-writing as a potential complimentary teaching method through which learners could exercise their minds and see things beyond their imagination. How is it different from similar existing projects? What is its added value?  Participating in Wandiika Children’s Writing Prize is free of charge, which makes it accessible for the economically disadvantaged. Learners write stories in their free time, and are encouraged to discuss with their peers and to seek guidance from their parents and teachers. These student-student, student-teacher and student-parent conversations culminate in lessons about kindness, career aspirations and life. The writing competition does not interfere with with the children’s learning but complements it. It’s a much desired fun break from their often tiring schedules in the classroom. What progress or achievements have been made to date? (Please talk about your activities and programs. There has been a shift in attitudes among the teachers and students in the schools we’ve worked with. Most of these have allocated more time on their school calendar to writing and reading. The courage of the students has also been impressive. Seeing primary school pupils in rural Ugandan schools getting their stories published has been quite satisfying. Collaborez vous avec d’autres entrepreneurs de votre milieu/industrie ? Si oui, comment décrirez vous cette collaboration jusqu’à présent ? | Are you collaborating with other entrepreneurs in your industry? If yes, how would you describe these collaborations? We have collaborated with a number of organizations and individuals. Some of the organizations are Enjuba , a catalytic children’s education organization and Gustro Book Center , a book distributor and store. These donated sets of storybooks to the winners of the inaugural edition of the competition. We’ve teamed up with the City Authority’s children’s Library, where our awarding ceremonies have been held. Plus several distinguished professionals who have served as illustrators and judges. What are your current sources of funding? Could you be described as financially self-sufficient? How do you plan to make your initiative more financially self-sufficient in the coming years?  * We have relied on in-kind contributions from individuals and organizations. One such organization is Australian Books for Children of Africa (ABCA). We intend to diversify our funding sources in order to extend the reach of our activities. What are the main challenges or difficulties you encounter in carrying out your project? How do you overcome them?  * There have been instances where teachers and parents cheat for their learners. We are slowly overcoming this challenge by helping parents and teachers understand the purpose of the programme. There are also cases where schools are reluctant to enroll, often because they are focused on completing their syllabuses. We are solving this by making the competition as flexible and convenient as possible. How has the COVID-19 impacted your work? What measures did you develop to adapt and build resilience?  * Covid-19 lockdowns led to school closure and, consequently, the 2020 edition of Wandiika Children’s Writing Prize was cancelled. This discouraged the participants who had anticipated the Prize. However, it presented us an opportunity to reflect and design better strategies. Social media is one of the ways we’ve reached our participants in this challenging period. What support or assistance would you need to increase the impact of your initiative and accelerate its development?  * The support of teachers and parents is vital. I also wish the government could be more deliberate in supporting creative interventions in education. What is the impact of your initiative on the promotion of reading and culture? Kindly share statistics about your impact.  * In the 2018 and 2019 editions, we managed to give over 3000 pupils from across 13 schools in Central and Northern regions of the country an opportunity to tell their stories. We’ve published a set of stories from the 2019 edition of the competition as a book. This publication has enabled its authors to inspire their peers, not only in their school but also in others. We hope to publish more of these child-authored books, and to subsidize them so disadvantaged schools who often cannot afford good quality storybooks can use them in their classrooms and libraries. This might help in solving the problem of insufficient supply of culturally-authentic children’s books. What are your plans for the 3 to 10 years? What legacy do you want to leave * In that timeframe, we will have scaled up the initiative to reach millions of learners annually. I would like to leave a legacy of using literature and art to nurture the next generation of Ugandans to rise above the challenges of their time. Any last word? Anything else that hasn't been adressed in this form? (Kindly share with us!) I thank Muna Kalati for the opportunity to share my thoughts.

" Unhappy families move me the most ". Thoughts of Andrea LIAO, President & Founder of Book the Future“. All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way " (Tolstoy). Muna Kalati : What books did you like to read as a child? Do you think they are also interesting and understandable for modern children? * I liked reading historical fiction as a child ( Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder was my favorite) . I think they are not as interesting and understandable for modern children (such as my younger brother) as they were for me, but it is the genre that inspired me to write my own stories. MK : What were the first children's books you read? Were they African? Any childhood authors you remember? What did these reading practices teach you as a child? * One of my favorite childhood books is Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. The protagonist is a young African American girl, and the book takes place in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. MK : Could you give us an overview of your career? Why did you become interested in the world of children's books? Is it a choice or a stroke of fate? When I was young, my grandma would tell me stories as she tucked me into bed at night. One evening, I asked her to read from one of my cousin’s picture books. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head and told me gently, “Grandma does not know how to read.” I was bewildered. How could someone who knew so many stories be unable to read? My grandma explained that she had grown up during the Great Leap Forward: whereas I have access to an education system that emphasizes literacy, she had none at all. Instead, her tales sprang from oral traditions and personal experiences rather than pages and ink. As we spent more time together, I recognized the impact of illiteracy on all facets of daily life. From grocery shopping to riding the metro, I witnessed my grandma’s struggles and came to understand that illiteracy puts her very much at the mercy of her surrounding environment. Upon returning to live with my parents, I spent the rest of my childhood between bookshelves, seeking comfort in books the same way I had through my grandma’s tales. She, who has never read a book in her life, is the reason I love literature. As a youth literacy advocate, I hope to bring a similar appreciation to as many children as possible. MK : What books are on your nightstand? What’s the last great book you read? I recently read Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong. MK : What, in your opinion, is the main task of children's literature? Should it entertain, teach, educate, enlighten, create role models, liberate… With access to reading resources comes agency: books educate, equip, and embolden. Literacy is the lifeblood of learning. MK : How many children's books have you published to date? Could you name them? Would you like Muna Kalati to make some analysis on these books? I have only published poetry and short stories.  I am writing a young adult novel. MK : Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how). I like reading indoors on a rainy day. MK : Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book? Yes, I was banned from the library for a period of time in middle school. MK : What book should everybody read before the age of 21? Educated by Tara Westover Recently, children's literature has become increasingly free from various prohibitions and taboos. The authors are not afraid of complex topics such as death, aggression, bullying, depression, feminism, racial problems… But do children need it? And where to find the balance between a happy childhood full of miracles and adventures, and the real world full of adult problems? MK : Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most? Leigh Bardugo MK : In Africa, children's literature is located on the periphery and seen as a marginal genre compared to classical literature. What do you think of that? I think that is unfortunate, as children's books are foundational. MK : What is your vision for the future of children's literature in your country? Has a book ever brought you closer to another person, or come between you? * I've made a lot of friends through favorite young adult books; Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare was something I read with a friend this spring. MK : What moves you most in a work of literature? “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" (Tolstoy). Unhappy families move me the most. MK : You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, would you invite? * The Brontë Sisters MK : Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about? Generational trauma MK : Few books get into the list of world classics. Which of the modern authors who write for children can become a classic? (It doesn't matter what language he writes in or what country he lives in). * Harry Potter will definitely turn into a classic! You can read Andrea Liao’s article here:  https://stanforddaily.com/2021/10/13/empathy-perspective-and-hope-memoirist-tara-westover-reflects-on-the-value-of-a-college-education/ Website   ||   Instagram   ||   Blog   ||   Magazine

African Books Collective (ABC) is a not-for-profit cultural organization that markets and distributes African books, African writers, and African scholarshipin the North and Africa. They are strengthening indigenous African publishing through collective action and have increased the visibility and accessibility of the wealth of African scholarship and culture. Muna Kalati had the privilege of exchanging with ABC’s CEO, Justin Cox who has pioneered this interaction of African publishers with the US, UK, and worldwide, by particularly developing digital solutions. We exchanged on the origin of ABC, its funding and distribution mechanisms, and the sustainability.  Could you briefly introduce yourself ? I am Justin Cox of African Books Collective. In 1985, a group of publishers met to address the constraints they were experiencing in marketing and distributing their books outside of their domestic markets. They founded ABC as a collective self-help initiative to strengthen their economic base and meet the needs of libraries and other book buyers. In 2001, I traveled from my home in New Zealand to the UK where I got a job with the collective, I have been in various roles within the organization since then. Could you tell us about the African Books Collective? Its objectives, target , and expected results African Books Collective (ABC) is an African-owned, worldwide marketing, and distribution outlet for over 3,000 titles from Africa. Founded, owned, and governed by a group of African publishers, its participants are independent African publishers who share a common ethos of publishing from within African cultures, asserting Africa’s voice within Africa and internationally. The ethos of the collective is summed up by Professor Abdul Kabir Hussain Solihu of Kwara State University Press in Nigeria (distributed by ABC): “ Who the Africans are and what they stand for must not be left for outsiders to tell. We want the African authors to tell their narratives and interpret their own history in a way that would be appreciated by non-Africans. While doing so, they would be able to identify the Africans’ collective intelligence, creative ideas, and aspirations .” The Collective is in a strong position these days: excellent new publishers are signing up and the market for the books we distribute is growing globally. Where did you get the idea to set up such an initiative? (What was your inspiration, why this initiative? Why issue or problem(s) are you trying to solve?)  ABC was founded as a collective self-help initiative to strengthen their economic base and meet the needs of libraries and other book buyers. With initial support from funding agencies, trading began in 1989. Major remodeling of the collective took place in 2007 when ABC became self-financing. New opportunities afforded by the evolution of digital publishing and electronic books were seized upon, with ABC playing a key role in the digitization of African cultural output. While adapting to changing markets and methodologies, ABC’s founding ethos and aims remain unchanged, and ABC remains a not-for-profit organization on its own behalf. How is it different from similar existing projects? What is its added value?  * African Books Collective is a one-stop shop for over 3000 books published in Africa, we are the only such outlet in existence. What progress or achievements have been made to date? African Books Collective's biggest achievement has been its transition to self-sufficiency and the further establishment of a sustainable not-for-profit social enterprise going forward on behalf of its publishers. All of our income is from the sale of the books and eBooks we distribute and sell. We aim to remit the maximum income we can back to the publishers and are always working to get that percentage up depending on how well have done each year. What is the percentage of sales of African Children’s books in your income? Is there any increased interest in African children’s books in the North? Kindly explain by providing illustrations or statistics Children’s books are a very small part of our business in terms of sales and income, however, they remain critical as part of our mission. Many publishers in Africa feel strongly that though the collective loses money on children’s books it is important culturally for the books to be on the international markets. We take color illustrated hardback children’s books and a good example of a publisher who does well in this area would be Sub Saharan Publishers in Accra. Their books sell well on Amazon and the authors are all active promoters alongside quality production. There is always interest in children’s books, if the collective received more titles like those of Sub Saharan Publishers the category would be more viable. The costs are that we must warehouse the books, ship them around and they fetch a low price. Indeed yes, I believe interest in diverse books is growing everywhere. In all categories, I think.  Are you collaborating with other entrepreneurs in your industry? If yes, how would you describe these collaborations? Yes, we have a long history of collaborating and networking with those in the book industry. We are in constant contact with the publishers we represent. The nature of these interactions is largely focused on the opportunities we find for their books and authors internationally, but we also like to stay updated on their local market and find ways to assist there too. We also lobby on the publisher’s behalf in various fora in international markets and contribute elsewhere whenever we are asked. We are often the first point of call for those interested in the area and when we can assist, we do or we put interested parties in touch with publishers directly. What are the main challenges or difficulties you encounter in carrying out your project? How do you overcome them?  The main challenge would be similar to those of many independent publishers around the world. The margin on the sale of books is very tight, and the fight for the attention of readers is very competitive. We do our best with the marketing and could do more with more time, therefore we encourage African publishers and authors to speak to international audiences directly, build an audience there, and this can help greatly with sales . Another challenge is that there is always too much to do. In this area, we try and stay up-to-date with technology to discover efficiencies there. How has the COVID-19 impacted your work? What measures did you develop to adapt and build resilience?  Many publishers around the world during COVID-19 have seen increased sales, and ABC has also done very well. There has been increased interest in content from Africa as libraries and institutions are keen to diversify their collections, and they find it easy to source the books from us. The sale of digital books has been strong, but with people at home in lockdowns, print books have also been selling well over this pandemic. I think the future for books is bright! The new ways of working and networking havealso revealed many cost-savings in running a book operation and the increase in online networking is much more inclusive. What support or assistance would you need to increase the impact of your initiative and accelerate its development? I guess more time and money for marketing, but also others in the book industry need to champion the bookshop so maximum earnings return to publishers in Africa. It would be positive if professors and other academics in the north engaged more with knowledge created in Africa by using their books in class and putting them on reading lists. What is the impact of your initiative on the promotion of reading and culture? ABC has remitted over GBP 2 million in earnings to publishers in Africa and has provided a sustainable distribution outlet for their books internationally for over 30 years. As a bookshop, we have been providing access to these books in libraries and other institutions, academics, and individuals. We also provide access to the books "from home" for the African diaspora worldwide. Since transitioning in 2007 to a self-supporting when we were forced to drop publisher remittance to 35%, we have now increased this to 50%, not far from where we were when we had funds. What are your plans for the 3 to 10 years? What legacy do you want to leave?  ABC needs to keep expanding, but doing this as productively as technology allows. Our goal is to continue to increase publishers’ remittances and to adapt to their needs in an always-changing industry. Un Any last word? You can find out more about us here www.readafricanbooks.com and our bookshop is here www.africanbookscollective.com Thanks for reading

On 27 October 2021, an experience-sharing event was held under the theme "How to Make Reading a Leisure Activity for your Little One? The organiser of the activity, Nadine Mekougoum, sociologist and promoter of Harambee Africa, shared her experience on the issue on the Facebook page, Parents 2.0. She focused on her experience gained through exchanges with some families and her active participation in the Read arts workshops. She came up with a few tips that parents can use. Firstly, she talked about the collaboration between parents, the importance of reading for pleasure for children. She then suggested that parents should have reading sessions with their children. She also thinks that parents should create reading spaces and share books to everyone in the house. She recommends that children should be encouraged especially when they come up with stories themselves and tell them with enthusiasm. Finally, she reminds us that it is important to enrol children in reading workshops. This discussion was all the more interesting as it was in line with another theme previously addressed by the Muna Kalati association during the 3rd edition of Muna Kalati's talks, held under the theme "How can Mothers Better Inculcate Reading in Children?  At the end of the profitable discussion, the panellists had retained seven parental tips to interest children in reading:       For your children to read, start reading yourself       Arrange reading time with your child       Incorporate the gift as a reward instead of dolls, guns, etc.       Create a family mini-library and make books available throughout the house     Encourage each other with other parent readers and/or encourage your child to join a book club       Use digital or audio books for children       Be patient. Persevere. If there is a problem, verify if point 1 is being followed.             As we can see, there are many similarities between the two visions. This similarity shows that there is a real need for parents to apply these tips. The effective education of children depends on it.  It is urgent for adults to take the bull by the horns and do their best to educate their children efficiently.