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Another Look at African Cultures Through Picture Books Dorothy N Eastern Kentucky University Encompass Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Curriculum and Instruction Scholarship June 2007 Another Look at African Cultures through Picture Books Dorothy N. Bowen Eastern Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://encompass.eku.edu/ci_fsresearch Part of the Education Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Bowen, Dorothy N., "Another Look at African Cultures through Picture Books" (2007). Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship. Paper 19. http://encompass.eku.edu/ci_fsresearch/19 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Curriculum and Instruction at Encompass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff choS larship by an authorized administrator of Encompass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. by Dorothy N. Bowen realized how difficult it is to describe Recently, many picture book authors have at- what life is like for a child growing tempted to paint word pictures that portray life in many of these African cultures while illustrators up in Africa when I was asked to make have created accompanying pictures. Both have tried a presentation to two 6th grade classes. to help children living in America identify in some In the course of the presentation, I said, way with the life being described. Cunnanes book "Africa is not a country:' I had to smile For You Are a Kenyan Child puts it this way: Imagine you live in a small Kenyan village, where to myself as I saw the shocked look on the sun rises over tall trees filled with doves. You the face of a little girl sitting right in wake to the sound of a rooster's crow, instead of front of me. Her mouth dropped open an alarm clock and the school bus. Your afternoon and I knew that she thought I had made snack is a tasty bug plucked from the sky, instead of an apple. And rather than kicking a soccer ball a very great error. That is a common across a field, you kick a homemade ball of rags For misperception about down a dusty road. But despite this, things aren't L ygu Africa, the continent, that different for a Kenyan child than they would S,Kernh made up of more than be for an American kid, are they? With so much going on around you, it's just as easy to forget what 50 individual nations your mama asked you to do! (dust jacket) . and at least 800 distinct This article will take a look at some of these re- • ~ cultures. It is impossible cently published picture books about Africa. Each Mto overemphasize the one describes some aspect of life in an African country and examines both the similarities and the diversity of such a vast differences between these cultures and the cultures continent that covers of the children we see in our classrooms every day. an area greater than the Perhaps, we will find that the differences are not as United States, China, great as we expect them to be. There are customs in many parts of Africa which Japan, and Europe an American child would find quite unusual. These •• combined. differing customs begin with the naming of a new- born baby. Onyefulu, a West African writer, has Dorothy N. Bowen, Ph.D. is Associate Professor, Library Media, written the book Welcome Dedeh: An African Nam- College of Education at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY. Phone: (859) 622-2164; Fax: (859)622-2004. Email: Dorothy. ing Ceremony on this custom in Ghana. The book is [email protected] told from Amarlai's viewpoint who has a new cousin 22 School Library Media Activities Monthly/Volume XXIII, Number 10/June 2007 and thinks she needs a name other than "baby." He of Christmas its own. Every knows, however, that in his part of Ghana a child is December Jumads aunt Aida not named until she is eight days old, and the name comes to Nairobi to visit, and she is given must be very carefully chosen. The story one particular year she seeks [ . tells how that might be done. For example, Amarlai's to fulfill Juma's wish to see Fa- mother's name is Ayeley because she is the first ther Christmas. On Christmas daughter, and his own name means he is the fifth Eve, when the people gather son. Finally, the day comes and the ceremony begins. together to eat mandazis (Af- It is a ceremony of prayer and a tiny bit of corn wine rican doughnuts) and chapa- is dropped on the baby's tongue. Grandfather then tis (African bread), Father says, "Your name is Dede." That is just the beginning Christmas arrives riding an of the celebration with gift giving and partying. elephant! This is a truly Ken- In another book, One BigFamily, Onyefulu yan Christmas! FTol writes that in Eastern Nigeria the time a child is Wedding customs also dif- Tt , born determines the ogbo, or age group, he or she fer around the world. In recent will belong to for the rest of his or her life. Every years, two picture books have child, together with all of the other children born been published on wedding i' i within a five-year period, share with each other in customs in Africa. Onyefuu's times of joy and in times of sorrow. story, Here Comes Our Bride!: A IE.0 Childhood and village life is also unique depend- An African Wedding Story, comes from Nigeria and ing on the part of Africa where a child grows up. gives us a look at the discussion between the fami- Diakit6, in the book I Lost My Tooth in Africa, de- lies, the presentation of gifts to the bride's family, scribes how losing a tooth in Mali brings a chicken and the ceremony itself. The preparations for a wed- instead of cash. The Chamberlins, in the book Mama ding in the Kikuyu culture of Kenya are told by the I Panyas Pancakes:A Village Tale younger sister of the bride. A bride price of cows, from Kenya, weave a tale that sheep, and goats is given and sister Wangari is car- demonstrates that even a sim- ried off to cheers and songs from the crowd and then ple meal of pancakes can grow taken to her new home. The songs and celebration into a village event in Kenya. last for eight days, and when Wambui goes to bed Ebeles Favourite:A Book ofAf- that night she thinks about her sister who is no lon- rican Games by Onyefulu illus- ger sharing a room with her. trates how games can bring the A recently published story of southern Sudan, children of a West African vil- Brothers in Hope, gives us a window into a life that lage together. These games, not few American children can relate to. When Garang unique to Nigeria and Senegal, was eight years old he began to tend some calves are quite distinctive to that part of his own. One day everything in his life changed of the world. For example the when his village was attacked. His animals were story tells about Ncho, a count- killed and his family disappeared. He joined the • T.,t1e ing game that requires seeds "Lost Boys of Sudan," and life was very difficult as and a beautifully carved board. they walked along the road to the refugee camp in Celebrations which in Ethiopia. Later his journey took him to Kakuma themselves are common to camp in Kenya and finally to a more promising life many parts of the world are in the United States. Gurang and thousands of other Sacculturated by the African set- Lost Boys have now settled in the United States. i' '• ting where they take place. For Now, let's look at picture books that demonstrate - example, Johnston, in the book the commonalities between children growing up A Kenya Christmas, depicts in North America and those growing up in vari- how Kenyan culture some- ous parts of Africa. Little Karoo in South Africa, in times makes the celebration Daly's book Once Upon a Time, struggles to learn to School Library Media Activities Monthly/Volume XXI=I, Number 10/June 2007 23 •< •i ¢'• read just as a child might do in as these make African culture quite accessible to the any part of the world. Bncour- children in our American classrooms. agement from Auntie Anna builds her confidence and her References Asare, Meshack. Sosu's Call. Kane/Miller, 2002. S' reading skills. Sosu, in Sosus Chamberlin, Mary and Rich Chamberlin. Mama Panya's S Call by Asare, deals with a dis- Pan- cakes: A Village Tale from Kenya. Mllus. by Julia Cairns. Barefoot . ability in a situation not at all Books, 2005. SUunique to Ghana. However, his Conway, David. The Most Important Gift ofAll. lus. by Karin -al . I .I village does not offer assistance Littlewood. Gingham Dog, 2006. to a child like Sosu until one Cumberbatch, Judy. Can You Hear the Sea? Mhus. by Ken Wilson- day when he is instrumental in Max. Bloomsbury Books, 2006. saving his village from a serious Cunnane, Kelly. For You Are a Kenyan Child. Illus. byAna Juan. disaster. As a result, he becomes Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006. Daly, Jude. To Everything There Is a Season. a hero and gains the attention Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2006. of an aid group which provides Daly, Nild. Once Upon a Time. Farrar, ...... ....... him with a wheelchair. Straus and Giroux, 2003.
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