Why we must tell our stories: A Nigerian Children's Book Writers Perspective

A popular African proverbs says “Until the Lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero.” In other words, the narrative is dictated and determined by who is telling the story.

It is for the reasons above that we must always use the opportunity to tell our stories. I will tell a short to illustrate why I am so passionate about telling our stories. Many years ago it was a nativity play at Our Saviour’s Church TBS and my school (St Saviour’s) was invited to perform.

I was starring as one of the?angels?that appeared to the shepherds. Being a school with mostly expatriate children the other?angels?were Caucasian girls. My mum had my hair packed up nicely and I was excited to be part of the nativity play.

My excitement was short lived when one of the?angels?looked at me and said “You can’t be an?angel.?Angels?have long blonde hair that flows to their back like mine … not hair that’s sticks up like yours “. It’s been almost 40 years but I still remember how those words stung!

My excitement turned to disappointment as I ran to my teacher. “Miss I can’t be an?angel, she said?angels?don’t have hair like mine”. My teacher immediately retorted “that’s not true! “. She assured me that my class mate was wrong and wiped away the tears that were streaming down my face. She persuaded me to go back and I ended up giving a stellar performance.

The truth is that it wasn’t the little girls fault for thinking I couldn’t play the part.? Even till today when we see an?angel?they are depicted as white (Caucasian) with blue eyes and long blonde hair.? Just put the word “angel” in google and see what pops up.

It is same reason we have books that say “A for Apple” instead of “A for Amala” or something that a Nigerian child in a rural village in the South West would more easily connect with.

It’s because of such images that I started writing Children’s books. I wanted to ensure that children could see people of every race depicted in story books.

If the story above is not enough reason, then note a few other reasons;

• ??? It encourages early literacy: One way is to help children read is by introducing them to books with relatable characters. While we must expose our children to a variety of characters and cultures through books we should also buy them books with characters they can relate to. Characters that look like them, eat the same food they eat and have names they know.? As an author I wanted my children to see their own food and their friends’ names …and people Who looked like them, because I knew this would make the stories more appealing. In my books I feature Akara, Jollof rice, Zobo and other indigenous meals.
• ??? It destroys myths and stereotypes: When you tell your own stories you have narrative sovereignty, stereotypes and myths fall away and we are free to truly represent ourselves. Look at this passage where a zebra is not properly described. Father takes Bibi into his lap and points to a zebra with his finger. Look at the zebra, my darling. Isn’t it beautiful? It has black and White stripes next to each other. (Kallio and Lindholm, 2005). In reality a zebra is black with white stripes so if a Masai warrior for instance was telling the story it would be more accurate plus the intention of the book to promote different cultures ended up being lost.
• ??? It encourages representation: The lack of representation when it comes to people of colour has long existed. As a child I had almost no books to read that showed people like me. The renowned sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois first expressed his?concerns about anti-Black racism in children’s books. These feelings of representation are can affect the way a child sees himself. They may feel they and people like them are not important
• ?? You avoid the danger of a single story: According to Chimamnda Adichie the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete, They make one story become the only story.”?She went on to say how we must seek diverse perspectives — and in turn, writers must tell our own stories”.?Telling the stories that only we can tell, about our experiences, hopes and fears, helps break down the power of clichés and stereotypes.

According to Arriana Braga Children realities are shaped by the model they build with elements such a stories, songs, films, plays etc. Others have noted that when children are underrepresented or not depicted in literature they may completely reject literacy as relevant (Kathy Short 20180. It is therefore important that our policy makers in the Education Sector pay more attention to indigenous authors and encourage what they do. This is why I am excited about Organisations like Association of Children's Authors and Illustrators of Nigeria (ACAIN).

Yes it is important that we tell our own stories and even when they are told by someone else that they are told with accuracy and empathy.

(Adapted from my presentation at WLS 2023)

REF

1)Why I started writing Childrens Books;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQwnp67fWqU

2)Danger of a Single Story,’:?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

3)? Arianna Braga,?The importance of children’s representation in literature and media, Humanium (March 2022).

4)Kallio K, Lindholm M (2005)?Bibi muuttaa Suomeen, Helsinki: Otava.

5) Kathy G. Short,?What’s Trending in Children’s Literature and Why It Matters, Language Arts, Vol. 95, No. 5 (May 2018), citing (R.S. Bishop, 2003,?Reframing the debate about cultural authenticity).

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