SUMMARY BRIEF
Readership for Learning and Development—Soma in collaboration with The Sweden Embassy and Mkuki na Nyota Publishers will be organizing a Children’s Literature Festival from 16th to 19th November 2021 in multiple locations. Soma Book Café will host the festival on November 17. Among others, the event will engage children in storytelling and innovation using Soma’s Watoto na Vitabu storytelling with children approach. Prompts will be: Chura Mpweke by Nakiete Mlaki and The Poor Old Lady by Larry Semiono (Kalamu Ndogo[1] series authored by children in Soma’s research and writing with children project), Mariam (a motion comic) by Gwantwa Lucas, winner of Soma’s Hadithi Zetu challenge[2]. The two projects are experimenting with innovative ways to create new narratives from the point of view and experiences of children and young women. The event will also be an occasion to launch Mariam and Full Speed Ahead, Johanna! The Inventor/ Mwendo Kasi, Johanna! Mbunifu. The latter is a bilingual translation of a children’s book originally authored in Swedish by Ann-Christine Magnusson.
The festival will also be an occasion to relaunch the 5th Book Bazaar which has been stalled since the outbreak of COVID-19. To ensure we maintain its intergenerational reach and plurality of the Book Bazaar and Soma Book Café, the event will be split into two overlapping time blocks. The children’s activities will take place between 10.00am to 2.30pm and adult activities will start at 2.00pm up till 5.00pm. Book display and refreshments will be available throughout the day.
We will facilitate three segments of storytelling workshops with at least 45 children from three different schools, at the end of which children will perform stories they created to the public. They will each be awarded free copies of print books they used as prompts and a certificate of participation.
The adult segment will feature the 1st panel discussion and public dialogue on ‘The Role of Authors in Promoting Reading’ moderated by Wilbard Makene, author of the Sarafu ya Gavana andthe 2nd panel discussion will be moderated by Zuhura Yunus the topic being “The Role of Authors in transforming firm mindsets about women and girls.” Also featuring will be the launch of Mariam, book exhibition, poetry, and meet the author, book donations and book swapping. Zuhura Yunus’ debut work of creative nonfiction, a biography of Biubwa Amour Zahor will grace the event and she will be available for book signing.
[1] https://www.somabookcafe.com/kalamu-ndogo/
2 https://www.somabookcafe.com/meet-the-hadithi-zetu-artists/