There’s a new children’s book on the shelves sharing and inspiring through affirmations written in our 11 official languages! A love letter to all the children of South Africa, how awesome is that?
South Africa (13 April, 2023) — It might be a children’s book, but the South African Alphabet of Affirmations has people of all ages smiling.
As the voice so many wished they had growing up; the Affirmation Alphabet doubles as a dose of positivity and inclusivity, sharing affirmative words from 10 authors written across our 11 official languages.
Author Nyasha Williams was inspired to put the book together after she received her first traditional publishing deal for her work ‘I Affirm Me: The ABCs of Inspiration for Black Kids. As someone who grew up between the United States and South Africa, Williams’ work offers a unique perspective on uplifting through changing traditional narratives in positive ways.
Her inspiration to make an Alphabet of Affirmations for South Africa came after some encouragement from her friends.
“When talking about I Affirm Me: The ABCs of Inspiration for Black Kids with friends from my high school, Pretoria High School for Girls and culinary school at Prue Leith’s Chefs Academy, the message that I kept being told is that Black, Indian, and Coloured, Children need a book like this, a South African version. Similarly to the racial dynamics in The United States, South Africa’s literature and publishing industry centers ‘Whiteness’ and there is work around equity and making sure all children of South African see themselves centered in a positive light.” — Nyasha Williams.
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Williams further shared that it is a book of their “joy, beauty, love resilience and excellence, which is necessary for all communities to see, enjoy and normalise.”
“The book features and highlights all of the native tongues of South Africa as many of the languages spoken by the BIPOC communities have not been centralized and have limited written resources in terms of preserving these living and beautiful languages.”
Meanwhile, preserving a beautiful and ancient South African language is local legend Ouma Katrina Esau.
Thanks to people like this, the South African language scape continues to educate, encourage and inspire.
Source: Various (Linked Above)
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