An African Story from my mother

I’ve been spending a lot of time with my mum. I am thankful for the time God has given me to not only spend with her, but more importantly to get to know her. That may sound strange to some, but my parents split up when I was six and I was raised by my dad and step-mothers. It wasn’t until some twelve years later that I got to spend a bit of time with my mum. That was when I went on vacation during my 2nd year in college and I got to travel to London to spend the summer with her. And even after I graduated and moved to London I didn’t spend a lot of time with her. So I had an image of my mother in my mind, but I didn’t really know her. Now I do.

One of the activities I enjoy most is when my mum would tell me stories about her childhood in Nigeria. Stories about my grandfather and his wives; about meal times and going to the market by canoe, among other things. She also, at my urging, tells me stories her dad told her and her siblings while they sat outside under a full moon, eating roasted corn and pears.


Today I share one of those stories.


In a small village on the western edge of Nigeria, the Oba (King) was gravely ill. He called together his Elders. These were the men he relied on to help him make good decisions concerning his kingdom. Among the Elders were 4 of his most trusted friends – Elder Kola, Elder Akin, Elder Yomi and the one they called Babatunde. For the most part these men were very similar in background, age and sensibilities. They’d known each other all their lives and kept each other’s secrets, having grown up together. All of them, that is, except Babatunde. Babatunde was the youngest of the group by about 10 years, but had proved his loyalty to the throne over the years.

Eighteen years ago Babatunde lost his wife in childbirth. But because he had pledged his life to serving the Oba, Babatunde took no time to mourn his wife and made a decision to send his new born daughter to live with her mother’s family in another village. After all, the Oba came first and besides Babatunde had no experience looking after children. Although the Oba never said anything, he appreciated Babatunde’s sacrifice and brought him into his inner circle…

Now the Oba was dying and he knew it. Sitting on his throne for the first time in months, propped up by a stack of ashoke wrappers, he was a shadow of his former self. The room was dark and quiet. Most of the bush lanterns had been put out and the typical entourage of hundreds, including the dancing maidens were absent. This was not a typical meeting. Even the bodyguards were missing.

No one was allowed within 10 feet of the Oba. Normally this was not an issue as he deep baritone caused even inanimate objects to react. But not anymore. Now his voice was a little more than a whisper. The Elders stood stock still. They couldn’t afford to miss a word from the Oba.

“You have served me well all these years.” The Oba took a deep breath and pointed a body hand at his trusted men. “Now the time has come for me to give you one last command.”

Not showing any emotion, the Elders waited with baited breath as the Oba closed his eyes. Minutes trickled by, still they stood waiting for their Oba, their eyes trained on him. Fifteen minutes later they heard the strength of his voice; a voice they thought never to hear again.

“It is time to consult the Oracle.”

-----------------------

The festivities were well under way. The Oba was dead and his life and greatness had to be appropriately celebrated. The Elders huddled together for their last important mission on behalf of the late Oba. Under the cover of night they had to begin the 2 day trek to see the Oracle, who would give them the identity of the next Oba. Tradition dictated that they go to the Oracle within the first 5 days of the 14-day funereal activities for the Oba. This was a most secret mission and was done during this period because everyone in the village was required to attend the first 7 days of the Oba’s funeral and so the Elders could go on their mission without running into anyone on their way there.

---------------------------------

The day before the Elders left to see the Oracle, Cash Madam - the richest woman in the village was making her way back from the Oracle. She had a self-satisfied smirk on her deeply lined face.
“Those stupid people will soon know who I am,” she muttered to herself. She turned to look at her 3 henchmen, bringing up the rear.
“You need to walk faster! Look at you! Good-for-nothing boys!” She yelled at them.
“Sorry madam. I beg no vex oh!”
“You should beg me. If you people are not careful I will have all of you killed.”
Dipo, the fat one slowly knelt in the hot sand. “Ah madam. You know we have been faithful to you. Nobody is more loyal to you that we three.”
Cash Madam rolled her eyes heaven ward. “Oya get up! I need to go and claim my throne.”
She turned around and quickened her pace. The three men hurried after her.

---------------------------------

The Oracle was a wizened old man, with a shiny bald head and a long white beard. He had seen many things in his life time and had long since given up his dream of being the greatest Oracle in all the Yoruba kingdoms. But he knew that the Oracle Beyond the River was more accurate in his predictions and proclamations. The only reason the people flocked to him was because he was closer and many of them were afraid to cross the river.

But now he was tired. Tired of those silly village people and their complaints. But most of all he was tired of waiting for them to pay him what they owed for his services. That short Biye was the worst! Every time the Oracle went to see him to collect his money, Biye always had an excuse: the rain or lack of rain ruined his yams; his goat ran away; his chickens were stolen!
He stretched to scratch an itch in the middle of his back and he spat on the ground. He used his left foot to throw some sand over his spit.
With a thud he practically threw himself on the cement bench in the middle of his hut.
“I have no choice,” he said to the empty room. “If I don’t pronounce Cash Madam Oba she will send those thugs to kill me.”

All of a sudden he started to laugh. He fumbled with the twine holding up his wrapper over his bony waist. He pulled out his money bag, tied within his waist band. He nodded. “Yes I can do a lot with this money. I can even move away from this place!” He started as he heard footsteps just outside his raffia door.
“Who is there? I say, who is there?”
“We have come from the palace.” Elder Akin, the Elders Spokesman answered.

---------------------------------

Cash Madam was a very bad queen. She was dominating, rude and made people do things they didn’t want to do. She made laws without any discussion or input from the Elders. She forced the people to give her half of all their crops and property. Unfortunately the people could not complain. Anyone who opposed Cash Madam disappeared at the hands of her henchmen. So the people were unhappy and lived in fear.

Elder Kola had dared to confront Cash Madam just yesterday and no one had seen him since.
Cash Madam called the remaining Elders and warned them that she would not have anyone in her palace oppose her.

---------------------------------

The Elders held a secret meeting. Their beloved village was no longer the happy place it used to be. After much discussion they decided that Babatunde and Elder Akin’s wife travel across the river to enquire of the Oracle Beyond the River to confirm that Cash Madam truly was the chosen Oba.

Three days later Babatunde and Elder Akin’s wife arrived at the Oracle Beyond the River.
“I’ve been expecting you.” The Oracle Beyond the River appeared ageless. He was dressed in red lace, loosely wrapped around his body, and had a bushy head of very black hair.

Babatunde and Elder Akin’s wife were very surprised. The Oracle Beyond the River turned his back to them and entered his hut. Babatunde and Elder Akin’s wife looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.
“Come in. Come in. The answers you are looking for are not out there.” So in they went. The room was bare, with nothing on the walls or floor, not even a chair. The Oracle Beyond the River was seated on the floor with a hand mirror on the floor in front of him. He looked up at his visitors and gestured for them to join him on the floor. With some difficulty, they sat.
“How is your daughter?” he asked staring at Babatunde.
Babatunde’s eyes widened in surprise. No one knew about his daughter. In fact the entire village believed that his daughter died along with her mother.
“She is living with her grandmother in another village.”
The Oracle Beyond the River pursed his lips and sniffed.
“Whatever you do, protect that girl from Cash Madam because she is the true Oba.”

---------------------------------

Babatunde and Elder Akin’s wife returned to the village and told the other Elders what they learned from the Oracle Beyond the River. They plotted to bring Cash Madam down from the throne. At their next meeting in the palace, Elder Akin, in the presence of Cash Madam, turned to Babatunde.
“Your wife died a long time ago, did you remarry”?
Babatunde shook his head. “No. I am only living for my daughter now.”
Cash Madam jumped up, “what daughter?”
“The daughter my wife was giving birth to when she died.”
Cash Madam became careless with her words. “You mean that child didn’t die? What is her name? Where is she?”
“Her name is Bisola. She lives with her grandmother in another village.”
“Oh! I will like to meet her. How old is she now?”
“She’s 18. Her grandmother is very old now and my daughter will not be able to leave her to come here.”
Cash Madam sat back on her throne and in an icy voice said, “I command you to go and bring her. You know you cannot refuse my request.”

So with a heavy heart Babatunde went and brought his daughter to meet Cash Madam. When they got to the palace, Cash Madam told Babatunde to leave Bisola with her. Bisola spent the night in the palace. While she was asleep Cash Madam asked her henchmen to kill Bisola as she made her way home the next day. When morning dawned Cash Madam gave Bisola some money and told her that she could go to her father’s house.

As Bisola walked along the dusty footpath, Cash Madam’s henchmen jumped out of the bushes and grabbed her. They dragged her into the bush and Dipo, the fat one, raised a knife to stab her. As he lowered his arm a bird appeared out of nowhere and started to sing:

Bisola l’Oba
Emakpa Bisola Oh
Enitoba fi owo kon Bisola
Onitonwu a kuku oro oh

Bisola is the real Queen
Do not kill Bisola
Anybody who touches Bisola
Will die a horrible death

They’d never heard a bird sing before, let alone in Yoruba. They were terrified. They all ran away, leaving Bisola in the bush. The bird then told her how to get to her father’s house. When she got there she told her father what happened.

---------------------------------

Meanwhile the henchmen returned and reported to Cash Madam. News of the bird’s song spread throughout the village. So the Elders went to the palace and overthrew Cash Madam. They ran her out of town, but she still wanted Bisola dead. She hired new henchmen, who killed her previous henchmen. As she was plotting with them the singing bird appeared to her and said:
“If you don’t stop plotting against Bisola I will pluck out your eyes.” Cash Madam had never heard a singing bird before and went crazy.

Bisola was crowned Oba and the village was a happy place once again.
----------------THE END-----------------

It’s interesting how there are so many parallels (with some variations of course) among stories told in different cultures. This story reminded me of the wicked queen in Snow White and also of Jezebel in the Bible. But more than any other event, it made me think of Balaam’s donkey in Numbers 22.

What children’s stories from your culture remind you of Biblical events?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ufuoma Daniella Ojo is a Technical Author and Software Trainer. She lives in London. She is editing a manuscript, learning French, working on some new stories about relationships and trusting God for connections leading to publication.

Jots and Tittles

Ten years ago this week, my first children’s book, Donovon’s Rainbow, was published. The publisher distributed the book to all of their Vineyard Bookshops worldwide. However, if I wanted it in other bookshops, I was responsible for the distribution. So I duly got on the phone and started doing the rounds.

I got in touch with a bookshop attached to a large church in Cape Town. They requested a review copy. When I phoned them a week later to ask if they wanted to order it, they tersely told me that they would not stock anything that was unbiblical. Shocked, I asked what they meant. Donovon is the fictionalised ‘back story’ of the dove who finds dry land for Noah. Although my starting point was the bible story the rest of the tale was obviously made up. I mean, it wasn’t as if the dove kept a journal of his travels to pass on to future generations.

But this was not acceptable to the managers of this shop. According to them I was ‘distorting the bible’ and leading people into deception. A specific example they cited was that in my story Donovon, who at first refuses to get onto the Ark because he doesn’t approve of the Creator’s plan to destroy the earth, is rescued from the waves after crying out for help. He says that he’s sorry and begs for a second chance. Noah then sends Terence the Tiger overboard to rescue Donovon. This was the ultimate sin, according to these managers, because the door of the Ark should have been firmly closed and no one given a second chance. This, in their opinion, is what happens to us when we die and we have not made a ‘decision for Christ’ beforehand.

Now, as I come from a Baptist background, I understood the theology behind what they were saying. However, did it really matter in this case? Couldn’t they look beyond those details and see the greater truth of the story? Apparently not. I can’t tell you how upset I was at being labelled a heretic. (Little did I know at the time I would have to get used to it!). After a bucket-load of tears and agonised prayers, I was no clearer as to why it had all happened.

That evening I received a phone call from a woman who ran a ministry to adults who had been sexually abused as children. She said she was calling to tell me that my little book had ‘set someone free’. In the story there is a Bird of Paradise called Pumla who is kept in a cage in the depths of the Ark. The evil Ronald Raven tries to convince Donovon that this is evidence that the Creator and his captain Noah are not trying to save them but to imprison them all. However, what Donovon doesn’t notice is that the door to Pumla’s cage is open and she remains there by choice because she is too scared to fly.

My friend, a Christian, read this story to her support group that afternoon. One woman was so touched that she had a massive emotional and spiritual breakthrough and, in my friend’s words, was ‘set free’. I asked my friend where she held her support group. You could have knocked me down with a feather when she named the very church to which the bookshop that had condemned me as a heretic that very morning was attached.



How much freedom writers should have in interpreting bible stories is a controversial issue. I’m coming up against it again with my new series of picture books based on the childhood of King David. But whether I am really a heretic or this is just a matter of jots and tittles, I know one thing: the truth will set people free.

Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is a writer of books, theatre plays and screenplays. Her first adult novel, The Peace Garden, is a romantic thriller set in England and South Africa. It is available as an e-book. Her Young David children’s picture book series is available online from her website and in selected bookshops in the UK. She also writes devotional material for CWR. She is a member of the British Society of Authors and her full list of published books, including ghostwritten works, can be seen here. She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities.

A Kenyan Childhood Turned to Fiction

LeAnne Hardy: As we continue our celebration of one year of writing about international Christian fiction on this blog, let's take a look at someone who has been writing about Africa for a long time.  Shel Arensen grew up in Kenya and is a second generation missionary there.  His father, Ed Arensen, founded Today in Africa Magazine in the 1960s and Shel  was managing editor from 1981-1994 when he turned the magazine over to Kenyan editors he had trained. Shel still edits a history magazine called Old Africa. Shel has also written nine adventure stories for young people and an adult novel about a Third Culture Kid—one who has spent a significant part of his or her formative years in a culture different from the parents’ home culture.

Shel, how did you get interested in writing fiction? 

Part of the Arensen family when Shel was in seventh grade.

SA: As a young boy growing up in the 1960s, I watched my father involved in producing magazines and the process fascinated me. In sixth grade I remember writing a short adventure story in school about a shark attack on the Indian Ocean. In university I studied journalism and in 1977 I took a break from school and worked as a newspaper reporter in Alaska. This taught me the fundamentals of writing. But I really started writing fiction in 1985 when living in Oregon doing my master’s degree in journalism. I had three young sons and they missed Kenya. I missed Kenya. So I wrote my first children’s adventure novel, The Secret Oath, and read it to them chapter by chapter in the evenings so we wouldn’t be so homesick for Africa. It took nine years for that book to be published as the first in my Rugendo Rhino series.

LH:  I'm partial to The Rugendo Rhinos having first read it when my children were young.  How much of your own childhood or that of your children is in these stories?

SA: The Rugendo Rhino series is set in rural Kenya at a mission station much like the one where I grew up. As a young boy, three of my friends and I formed a club and built a tree house. We watched our fathers and mothers in their ministry to the church. My father was a publisher, another father was a doctor, another father was a builder, another father was a Bible school teacher. We also had Kenyan friends in the community around the mission station.  I could tell you the real story for about 80 per cent of the various scenes depicted in my books. Some are based on things that happened to me (falling off the top of a Land Rover), or to my children (bike diving into the river, climbing Mt Kenya) or my dog (trapped in a snare).  I take the real events I remember and weave them into the fictional plot. The result is a story that really did not happen, but could have happened. And the scenes in the story are true to life even though the story is fiction.  I don’t know if I have special ability to observe, but I have vivid memories of my years growing up in Kenya. Flying ants, the sticky mud when it rained, stinging nettles in the ravines, the trees, birds, the smell of the market, thieves stealing clothes off the clothesline, finding poacher’s snares in the forest. All these elements and more form the setting for the Rugendo Rhino books.

Shel on mom's lap (left of pole), Lake Victoria, circa 1957

LH:  Have your adult missionary experiences among the Dorobo people contributed as well?

SA: Yes, I used my relationships with the Dorobo people, where we have been planting churches for the past 19 years, to describe missionary work – learning language and culture, making friends, sharing Jesus with those who have never heard. The Poison Arrow Tree (book one in the Rugendo Rhino series) and The Runaway (set to be released by Word Alive in 2011) both describe missionary trips to the Dorobo living in the forest.

LH: Was it hard to interest an American publisher in a series of books set in Kenya?

SA: Yes. My first attempts to market my first two titles met with standard answers: No one wants to read about missionary kids and their friends in Kenya; and boys (my primary target audience) don’t read. But finally a publisher in Oregon who loved the outdoors gave the books to his son, who hated to read. His son read my manuscripts and loved them. The publisher (Questar, which later merged with Multnomah Books) said if I could add a third title, they would publish the series.  I quickly wrote a third book and the series was launched in 1994.

LH:  The books have been recently re-published by Word Alive, Nairobi, for Kenyan readers.  What adjustments did you make to target a different audience?

SA: Quite a few. To keep the price reasonable, I actually had to cut the books from 30,000 words down to 20,000 words. I also changed two characters who were North American missionary kids in the original books and reworked them as Kenyan boys. My editor also questioned various American slang phrases, which I had to adjust. We added a “List of Hard Words” to the end to help those reading English as their second (or third) language.

LH:  What do you hope for readers to get out of an adventure series like Rugendo Rhinos?

SA: First, I want to attract young boys and girls to enjoy reading. I feel the Rugendo Rhino books really capture a child’s interest and they are pulled in to find out what happens next. Through the books, I also show how children can make a difference by learning to pray, to trust in God when hard things happen.

LH:  How different was it writing your adult novel, Dust of Africa?

SA: The Dust of Africa dealt with how an MK manages the transition between cultures. This was a much more personal topic. I often struggle with knowing who I really am and where I really fit. Am I American just because I carry an American passport? I slip in the metaphor of dust at the beginning of the book. It took over ten years of fitful writing to complete the book. Sometimes I had to get away from it. Sometimes I wondered whether anyone really would read it. But I have enough friends who grew up “between worlds” as I did as well as four children. So in the end I determined to finish it and have it self-published to coincide with my daughter’s graduation from high school.

LH:  I imagine that you have met a lot of people who identify strongly with the emotions of your characters who are marked forever by their African experiences. 

SA:  Yes, one man wrote: I don’t know how you did it, but you wrote my story. Another asked in consternation: Did you get into the secret files from my missionary school in Africa? How did you know all those things I did? A woman wrote that after reading the first few pages, she had to put the book away. It evoked too many memories (feelings she thought she’d buried) of being left at a boarding school. But after several days she eventually picked up the book and finished it and said it helped her in processing her own life history.

LH:  What has been the response of black Kenyans to your writing?

SA: I met up with a young Kenyan girl in Nairobi who loves the Rugendo Rhinos and wants me to hurry and write some more. Another young boy was given the book Test of the Tribal Challenge, which describes a rite of passage called “The Twelve Tasks of Manhood.” His parents designed a rite of passage for him styled after the plot in the novel, including a climb up Mt Kenya.

LH: Have you met many African writers of inspirational fiction?

SA: I have worked with Mwaura Njoroge, who has written several novels about faith in the African context, exploring issues such as how to choose a marriage partner. We also co-wrote a historical about the controversy over female circumcision called Against the Traditions.  But there aren’t many African writers using the medium of inspirational fiction.

LH:  What do you have in the works that we can look forward to?

SA: The Rugendo Rhino series is contracted through nine titles, one brand new called The Runaway. I have a half-written murder mystery series called the Birder Murders about a group of bird watchers who solve mysterious murders using their knowledge of bird behavior. And I’m doing background research for a three or four book saga on the growth of Kenya as a nation drawing on memories of Africans, British settlers, Asians and missionaries.

LH:  I'm sure your work on Old Africa has given you lots of fascinating contacts for that  series.  We will look forward to it.  Thank you for sharing with us today.  May God use your writing to impact people in Kenya and beyond.


---

LeAnne Hardy's children attended boarding school on the same compound where many of Shel Arensen's books are set.   Her own books for young people come out of her cross-cultural experiences and her passion to use story to convey spiritual truths in a form that will impact lives. Visit her at www.leannehardy.net .

Africa from a Child's POV (LeAnne Hardy)

In a previous blog I reviewed picture books for introducing children to Africa . Older children are looking for characters they can relate to, children who are like them in some way even though they may be living on the other side of the world. Well-written books, featuring children near their own age, allow readers to imagine what it would be like to grow up in a different culture.

My own book The Wooden Ox (Kregel, 2002) is about a relief and development family kidnapped by rebels during the Mozambican civil war of the 1980s. All the events happened to real people during the years that we lived in the capitol, Maputo, but they didn’t all happen to our family or even to the same people. (Basically, the good things happened to us; the bad things happened to others.) In the story thirteen-year-old Keri and seven-year-old Kurt meet a child soldier called Mfano, ‘boy,’ because his real name has been forgotten. They are befriended by an African pastor whose story of escape is based on the experience of the elderly father of a close Mozambican friend of mine.

AK by Peter Dickinson (Laurel Leaf, 1993) also tells the story of a child soldier in an African civil war, this time in a fictional West African country. Dickinson does not simplify the painful realities of African politics. He uses an interesting technique of two alternative endings that allow readers to discuss what they would like to see happen and what, unfortunately, happens all to often.

In recent years I have been writing for children affected by HIV and AIDS. Beads and Braids (Shuter and Shooter, 2007), about a little girl anticipating the death of her mother, was published as a supplementary reader with limited availability outside South Africa. (Contact me on my website if you are looking for a copy.) Deborah Ellis’ The Heaven Shop, on the other hand, is available in several editions in different countries. Binti’s father runs a brisk business selling coffins until real life catches up with him, and Binti becomes just another AIDS orphan. Ellis traces a typical scenario for one of Africa’s 12 million orphans. (She has also written about Afghanistan under the Taliban and the Pakistan refugee camps in her series beginning with The Breadwinner.)

I am disappointed that Jenny Robson’s Praise Song (Cape Town, Tafelberg, 2005) is not available on Amazon. I think the premise of a teacher being found murdered after telling local teens about AIDS would intrigue American readers. The fitting ending gives me chills. Her futuristic dystopia Savannah 2116 AD, where animal rights take precedence over human rights in an African savannah setting, is available from resellers.

Africa has a rich cultural heritage. I have long been a lover of the tales of King Arthur. Elizabeth Wein’s A Coalition of Lions (New York, Viking, 2002), second volume of a trilogy that begins with The Winter Prince, puts a twist on the traditional story and shows sixth century Ethiopia as more culturally advanced than Europe of the same period. I lived in Ethiopia in the 1970s. Ms Wein’s writing is so convincing it was hard to believe she hadn’t even visited the country until after the book was published. (Great research!)

Modern Africa embraces many cultures, including Westerners living in Africa. Shel Arensen’s Rugendo Rhinos series (Kregel, 2003) is like many series set in North America for the middle grades and “tweens.” Missionary kids in Kenya and their African friends have adventures and stop crime. Readers of this fun series will be begging their parents to move to Africa. While the Kregel edition emphasizes the North American characters, the new Kenyan edition (Word Alive, Nairobi) makes more of the African characters. Of the books I have described here, other than my own The Wooden Ox, these are the only ones with specific Christian messages.

The world has grown much smaller, and modern American young people may well have classmates who were born in Africa or elsewhere. Memories of Sun, edited by Jane Kurtz ( New York, Greenwillow, 2002) is a collection of short stories and poems by authors from both continents. Aimed at middle schoolers, it describes life in various African countries and some of the experiences and impressions of Americans in Africa and Africans in America.

There is no shortage of non-fiction books in the Africa section of your library or bookstore. Here are some of my favorites:

African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, with paintings by Floyd Cooper, is the beginning of a series aimed at African Americans. This first volume describes the various cultures from which the ancestors of modern African Americans came. The text combines with gorgeous art to show the rich heritage of the continent before Europeans arrived.

When Hippo Was Hairy and other Tales from Africa by Nick Greaves (Struik, 1989) combines animal folktales with beautiful paintings and information about the animals’ habitat, breeding, diet, etc. I have seen children pick it up for the pictures, be drawn in by the stories and consume the information. Other books in the series include When Lion Could Fly, When Elephant Was King, etc.

Few people have had as great an impact on Africa as Nelson Mandela—son of a Thembu chief, lawyer, activist, political prisoner and eventually the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Floyd Cooper emphasizes Mandela’s childhood, his early training, and his commitment to stand for what he believed was right in the children’s biography, Mandela (Philomel, 1996). The format is picture book, but the content will be better understood by school-age children.  Cooper’s trademark use of light and dark in the illustrations bring to life the faces of Mandela and his colleagues.

Sadly, several of these books are out of print.  They are only available second-hand.  Well-written books about Africa for young people allow children with African ancestors to revel in their heritage. They expose children of European ancestry to the beauty of a world different from their own. They stretch all of us who don't live in Africa beyond our every-day world.

I would love to hear from you about other books about Africa you have enjoyed and recommend for young people.

Africa in Picture Books by LeAnne Hardy

Every day is an adventure for young children exploring their world.  Stories set in other cultures can introduce curious children to the world beyond their own doorstep.  It might be a story about an ethnic community in their own country, or about children on the far side of the world.

A good story starts with something with which the reader can identify, and moves on to something new that stretches a child’s thinking.  Picture books illustrate the culture visually at the same time that the text invites the child to identify with children whose lives may be very different.

My own children grew up in Africa.  Over the years we have collected books that show the African experience in positive ways.  In this blog I would like to share favorite picture books of Africa.  In a future blog I will share juvenile fiction that can give an older child a feel for African life.

In the comments section, I would love to hear your thoughts on these books and recommendations of others for introducing young children to African culture.

Alphabet and counting books:

Ashanti to Zulu; African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (1976).  New York, Dial.

                        Beautiful, if somewhat idealized, illustrations represent twenty-six African cultures with brief paragraphs of text in this Caldecott Award winner.

From Akebu to Zapotec; a Book of Bibleless Peoples, by June Hathersmith; illustrations by Alice Roder (2002).  Orlando, Wycliffe Bible Translators.

                        Twenty-six ethnic groups that lack the Bible in their language are featured with colorful illustrations and short accounts of their culture, emphasizing what it is like to be a child in that group.   A map of the world locates each tribe.  Like it’s companion book From Arapesh to Zuni, this makes a great prayer guide for family worship.

Jambo Means Hello; a Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel Feelings, illustrated by Tom Feelings (1974).    New York, Dial.

                        Soft black ink and white tempera illustrations accompany a Swahili word and cultural information for every letter of the alphabet.

We All Went on Safari; a Counting Journey through Tanzania  by Laurie Krebs, illustrated by Julia Cairns (2003).  Cambridge, MA, Barefoot.

                        Spend a day with a Maasai clan in their bright red wraps as they count African animals.  Additional pages give information about the animals and the Maasai culture of Tanzania.

Emeka’s Gift; an African Counting Story, by Ifeoma Onyefulu (1995).  London, Francis Lincoln.

                        This book works on a variety of levels: a simple counting book, a pleasant story about a boy searching for a gift for his grandmother, and an introduction to Nigerian culture. The colorful photographs will appeal to both African and non-African readers.  Sidebars contain additional cultural information.

Stories of African children:

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain; a Nandi Tale by Verna Aardmea, illustrated by Beatiz Vidal (1981).    New York, Dial.

                        This cumulative rhyme in the tradition of “The House that Jack Built” tells how a Kenyan herdsman caused the rains to begin.  The text sings.

Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (1994).  New York, Simon and Schuster.

                        This story of a clever young shepherd boy and his sister outwitting a dishonest rich man is a retelling of a traditional tale.  The illustrations give an authentic glimpse of the rich culture of Ethiopia where the author grew up.

Goal! By Mina Javaherbin (2010)  Candlewick.

South African township kids have to protect their regulation soccer ball (football, as it is called locally) from bullies in order to feel the freedom of play. The artist uses perspective to give variety to what could have been a drab slum setting.

Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Brown (1994).  Candlewick.

Handa prepares a basket of fruit to take to her friend in a neighboring Kenyan village, but unseen by Handa, various animals steal the fruit before a goat butts a tree and refills Handa's basket with something unexpected.

Limpopo Lullaby by Jane Jolly, illustrated by Dee Huxley (2006).   Simple Read Books.

                        My grown children will identify with Leroy and Aimee for there was nothing they enjoyed more when the long Mozambican dry season ended than to play in the rain. But in this story the rain doesn't stop and the children must be rescued by helicopter.  Delightful pastel illustrations with expressive faces. Based on actual events in 2000, this could be frightening or confusing to very young children.

The Most Important Gift of All by David Conway, illustrated by Karin Littlewood (2006)

                        Lovely watercolors of African village life.  Ama goes looking for the important gift called 'love' to give her new baby brother and finds it when her father comes looking for her.

Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber (2009).  Holt.

                        A Somali orphan in a Kenyan orphanage dreams of the nomadic life with camels he has lost until the "Bookmobile" arrives on the backs of three camels.  Beautiful pictures and satisfying ending.

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe (1987).  New York, Lothrop, Lee and Shepherd.

                        Two sisters with different temperaments travel to the capital, each hoping to be chosen as the king’s wife.  Spectacular illustrations show the well-known ruins of Great Zimbabwe as the site of the king’s city.

So That’s What God is Like by LeAnne Hardy, illustrated by Janet Wilson (2004).  Grand Rapids, Kregel.

                        Janet Wilson’s beautiful paintings bordered in the style of Zulu beadwork illuminate my text about Biblical images of God and show off the African cultural setting.

When Africa Was Home by Karen Lynn Williams, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (1991).  New York, Orchard.

                        My own daughters strongly identified with this book about a family missing Africa when they have returned to the United States.

So what books do you recommend for introducing young children to African culture?

LeAnne Hardy is the author of six books for children and young adults, set in a variety of cultures.  She lists many more books about Africa on her Goodreads site.