Book of the Month: I Love Ugali and Sukuma Wiki
Kwame Nyongo is a father of two young children, but he began writing children’s books long before he became a Dad.
He recently shared with MumsVillage the inspiration behind the books:
“I decided to do something for kids not just in Africa, but kids worldwide. The goal of my books is to highlight the contemporary culture of our region. The view of Africa is often romanticized and negative, and stories mainly focus on animals or certain stereotypes. I wrote the books to paint a more realistic and positive picture of Kenya. I chose food as the subject matter because it is something so powerful and everyone relates to food. The books teach a lesson to the children while illuminating the culture here.”
Story: Young Akiki loves to eat Ugali and Sukuma Wiki. Akiki learns to sacrifice some of his playtime to do some work and gets to enjoy his favourite dish even more.
Where to Buy: The book is available at Bookstop Yaya Centre, Text Book Centre countrywide, The Souk Karen and Amazon.com
Kwame Nyong’o is a visual artist, animator, illustrator, filmmaker and musician. Born in Chicago to a Kenyan father and American mother, he was raised between the two countries, an experience that granted him a unique opportunity to appreciate and understand the different peoples and cultures. This exposure, fused with his passion for science fiction and fantasy, have become the influence behind his work.
