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Children’s literature, a genre in its own right

“Baleke babueki nsuki, tumbu kua ba mbuta”(If the children’s hair turns red, it is the adults’ fault: Bakongo proverb)

In recent years, African children’s literature has blossomed bothin Europe and in Africa, growing in popularity as never before.Indeed, many would say the genre is enjoying a renaissance in

Africa, attractingthe interest of uni-versity scholars, as, for instance,researchers at theInstitut CharlesPerrault in Franceand the number ofAfricans who havewritten doctoraltheses on the subject.

Look no further than “La Joie Par Les Livres” (The joy ofBooks), an agency run by the French Ministry of Culture andCommunication, with the purpose of encouraging initiativesto foster access for children to books and reading, and to pro-mote quality children’s literature. Through its InterculturalDepartment, set up in 1986, it gives constant coverage toAfrican childrens’ literature in its magazine “Takam-Tikou”. Ithas also organised promotional events centred around Africanchildren’s literature, such as the “Amhabuku” book fair organ-ised in Bologna, Italy in 1999. This successful fair was animportant landmark, particularly for African authors and illus-trators, who were highly considered at the event.

Similarly, the IBBY (International Board on Books for Youngpeople), founded in Zurich in 1953 and with member coun-tries from all over the world, will pay homage to African chil-dren’s literature at its 29th Conference in Cape Town on 5-9September 2004. The theme of the conference will be “TheRenaissance of African Children’s Literature”.

The Africa of tomorrow depends on how we bringup the children of today.

It is mainly thanks to the joint efforts of state and privatebodies from both the North and the South, and of internation-al bodies such as UNESCO, the Agence Intergouvernementalde la Francophonie (Intergovernmental Association of French-speaking Communities), the European Union and Africalia (aBelgian initiative) that activities such as exhibitions, education-

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African children’s literatureChildren’s literature has formany years been regarded as aminority genre and oftenpassed over in favour of otherpriorities, particularly in Africa.Now children’s literature isfighting back. However, asDominique Mwankumi andJean-Claude Kimona* explainin this article, despite thepotential of this sector, themajority of African authorsand illustrators are hinderedby amateurism and do nothave the structures they needto allow them to workprofessionally. Illusafrica, theassociation they set up withfellow artist Christian Kinguéin 1999, has the goal ofhelping authors/illustratorsbecome professional.

“African authors and illustrators needthe means to become professional”

Street children, KinshasaDrawing by a young Congolese artist,

Bongese, at a training workshop run byIllusafrica

In recent years, Africanchildren’s literature hasblossomed both inEurope and in Africa,growing in popularity asnever before

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al workshops, confer-ences, round tables,etc, have been organ-ised in recent yearswith the involvementof experts in the field.These activities repre-sent both proof andacknowledgement ofthe vitality of this sec-tor which is so essen-tial for the develop-ment and educationof Africa’s children.

Helping authorsand illustrators tobecome professional

Thus, a North-Southpartnership for chil-dren’s literature isbeginning to bear fruit.

In this vein, andafter the fashion ofother African associa-tions, Illusafrica was

founded in 1999 by three artists, Dominique Mwankumi,Jean-Claude Kimona and Christian Kingué Epanya, after theyhad taken part in the International Book Fair in Bologna.Many African artists there believed there was a need to helpauthors and illustrators of children’s books become profession-al. Specifically, illustrators workingin certain African countries werebadly in need of training. Illusafrica,as an initiative created by Africanartists for Africans, is anxious to con-tribute to this rebirth and above allto help resolve this key problem oftraining.

The aim of this pan-African illus-trators’ association is to help Africanauthors and illustrators of children’sbooks to develop a professionalcareer and also to create a children’sliterature network in Africa. Theorganisation would ultimately like toset up an illustrators’ publishinghouse for the whole of Africa,through which exhibitions could beorganised, and, above all, to be able

to accommodate, in a creative environment, the many Africanartists who constantly request this sort of support.

Illusafrica is becoming known through the many trainingcourses it runs all over Africa on creating children’s books. Inthe space of a few years it has become the hub of a network withbranches reaching out to some African countries, for example,Togo, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republicof the Congo (DRC) – thus creating a real children’s literaturemovement.

Despite these achievements, there are many obstacles that arestill crippling African initiatives, such as the fact that mostAfrican illustrators are amateurs. This is due essentially to a lackof training. While many African countries such as the DRC dohave art schools, not all of these institutions have an illustrationdepartment. African artists also have great difficulty in procur-ing the materials they need. Quality brushes and paints are veryhard to find in Africa. The few shops that do sell them chargeexorbitant prices, making them simply unaffordable. No officialnetwork exists. The few attempts to start one up have come tonothing, failing because of lack of funding.

Illusafrica, which now has branches in a number of Africancountries, is hoping to fill this need. One way of strengtheningsuch a network is through the Internet. This new form of tech-nology makes it possible to exchange and circulate information- one of the main problems in Africa. Illusafrica is working on awebsite that will be a showcase for children’s literature. Anothermajor obstacle is the scarcity of publishing houses specialising inchildren’s books. Finally, there is the problem of distributing thebooks published, including the fact that many African readersjust do not have the purchasing power to buy them.

Children’s literature is a sector that cannot be ignored in thecontext of development in Africa. According to Canadian

“La Joie Par Les Livres” (The joy of books)run by the French Ministry of Culture, givesconstant coverage to African childrens’ literature in its magazine “Takam-Tikou”

Training workshops organised under the aegisof Illusafrica have been a resounding success,

and resulted notably in some publications

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researcher Louise Savoie, “One of the most dynamic, rewardingand promising vehicles that should be given priority is children’sliterature. It is a reflection of the society we live in, mirroring theever-changing culture, language and concerns of children andadolescents”.

This view is shared by Jeanne de Cavaly, a pioneer of children’sliterature both in Côte d’Ivoire and in sub-Saharan Africa. “Ibelieve that only through books can African children becomeaware of their history and culture. Young Africans must firstlearn about their own situation before they start to explore for-eign cultures. The framework surrounding children’s literature ischronically lacking: few well-stocked libraries, little promotionoutside of the festive season and little information available onnewly published books,” she says.

Psychologists, sociologists and many child experts constantlyreiterate the importance of children’s literature for the educationand culture of young people, echoing the conclusions of a studycarried out in the US on black American children. This clearlyshowed that if children of a certain origin do not read aboutthemselves in books they will have a low self-esteem.

Thus, if the Africa of today and tomorrow is to succeed in itsstruggle for development, it first has to win the battle for chil-dren’s literature.

We stand by as astronomical sums of money are squandered byAfrican military leaders on senseless wars while such moneycould be invested in this sector which is so important for theeducation of children and young people. It cannot be repeatedenough: the Africa of tomorrow depends on how we bring upthe children of today.

Salvation through cooperation and subsidies? As long as…

Bearing in mind the weak links in the chain in African litera-ture, European cooperation under the ACP-EU partnershipagreement signed in Cotonou in June 2000 stipulates, in theCompendium on Cooperation Strategies, for example in Article3.1 on Education and Training, “The Community and theMember States shall allocate more resources to support for edu-cation and training in absolute and in relative terms.” This deci-sion is also supported and relayed by government initiativessuch as Belgium’s Africalia, whose aim is to support and pro-mote African culture.

However, such assistance in the form of subsidies has so farnot been enough to overcome the major problems that persist,particularly as regards increasing the number of publishinghouses and publications in Africa. Nor has it enabled a solutionto be found for the perpetual problem of distribution.

Although many African specialists are now getting togetherand investing in the search for sustainable solutions to theseproblems, certain powerful international publishing firms haveno hesitation in side-stepping their efforts 1. This battle over thefinancial gift horse represented by the book market in Africa istruly regrettable.

We believe it is important to stress that North-South cooper-ation must continue as a driving force behind a real policyregarding the children’s book industry in all African countries,

for what is at stake isbasic education.

If we are to win thebattle over children’sbooks in Africa, ade-quate structures mustbe set up, run by pro-fessionals that knowwhat is at stake interms of children’sliterature. In thisregard, Illusafrica hasmade progress inpartnership with theAgence Intergouver-nemental de la Fran-cophonie and Afri-calia. Training work-shops organisedunder the aegis ofthis pan-Africanpartnership havebeen a resoundingsuccess, and haveresulted notably insome publications.Hector Sonon, anillustrator from Benin, is a good example. After attending anIllusafrica training course he has begun several new ventures.Putting in practices what he has learned, he has successfully setup a group magazine which publishes members’ drawings.Word of his work has spread, leading to an invitation to Togoto work with local artists, and he is also a regular guest at bookfairs in Europe.

“Molie au port de pêche” by Hortense Mayaba, recently pub-lished in the “Le serin” collection, is another book that is thefruit of Illusafrica’s workshops. Many more have been includedin collections that are enchanting children all over Africa.

At the moment, African literature is on a roll. However, itmust be provided with the necessary structures and means toenable it to contribute its due worth to development in Africa.Even though at first glance it would seem that African children’sliterature is the poor relation, it is actually a case of the treewhich hides the forest. Take for example Congolese ZamengaBatukezanga, who has sold over 50,000 copies of his books inthe DRC, or the success of books like “Leuk le lièvre” (Leuk theHare) by Léopold Sedhar Senghor – proof of the enormous eco-nomic potential of children’s literature.

Only quality children’s books can give our children a taste forliterature. After all, knowing how to read and write are twomajor keys to success in life today. Let’s hear it for African children’s literature! ■

* Dominique Mwankumi is Chairman of Illusafrica (the Pan-African Illustrators’Association),and an author and illustrator; email: mwankumi@yahoo.frJean-Claude Kimona is an author and illustrator.1. See report “CEPER”, Cameroon

“Molie au port de pêche” by HortenseMayaba, recently published in the “Le serin”collection, is another book that is the fruit ofIllusafrica’s workshops