African children’s stories in mainstream northern hemisphere publishing often focus on landmarks or animals, in the same way that picture books from India tend to be more about festivals than anything else, or Eastern European books tend to be more about folktales…
You could be forgiven for thinking that everyday life doesn’t happen in these parts of the world.
But it does.
Northern hemisphere publishing dominates. For the longest time readers in the northern hemisphere didn’t need or want to read different perspectives, but that hasn’t been changing for the last few decades as the ideas of ‘choice’ and ‘variety’ itself have evolved into more opportunity and profit. Publishers are still testing new ways to reach more readers, it’s fair to say, but they aren’t really keeping up with what readers want as a result.
I have been focusing more and more on telling stories about Africans, also testing the best ways to get readers of all backgrounds interested.
I felt ‘The Big Green’ could be a way to tell a story about African people, especially as it has a climate change theme to build the story on. The story takes place against the backdrop of the Great Green Wall of Africa initiative, a 30 year undertaking nearing its end in 2030.
Putting a story like this together for a potentially wide audience is full of compromises and pitfalls, especially where authenticity is concerned. It took a lot of thinking and discussion to find the balance.
as an African, I don’t represent a whole continent and its people, nor should I shoulder that responsibility. But in the countries at the edge of the Sahara desert, like Mali, climate change isn’t just a headline — it’s daily life. But so is resilience, community, hope and joy. That’s at the heart of ‘The Big Green’.
I think about people I know who love tress and plants, who care about climate change, and who are from that part of the world and hope this book celebrates them as intended.
🙂
The Big Green is available in all good bookstores.
