Emily Joof's Blog

We were born under the images of the casque bleu as we heard of our cousins fleeing Rwanda, and the horrors they left behind.

We listened as Liberia turned bloody and we waiting anxiously for the safe arrival of more family on the perilous journey back.

We remember sleeping in one giant bed with them, when they finally made it home, knowing that everything was left behind.

We heard about the clashes in Sierra Leone and we counted down to the arrival of large boats that brought family and best friends safely to us.

Guinea Bissau raged near by, despair and poverty spreading.

Pockets in Mali not far behind.

We marched as Afghanistan burst in flames, the same in Yemen.

We volunteered when Syrians came knocking, young people in search for kindness and humanity.

We prayed with Sudan and the Rohingans.

We fundraise, we advocate and we show up, again and again.

We know the signs, we know the rhetoric and the aftermath that always follows.

Mothers will weep.

Hope destroyed.

Cultures stigmatized.

And children, people with disabilities, people of african origin, always the most vulnerable.

We stand with Ukraine,

As we always stand with vulnerable populations.

But we are not blind to the treatment of our brothers and sisters, walking side by side in search of safety.

As the North is shocked and waking up to conflict.

We know it has always been there.

And we have always been here.

It is with great pleasure that I join some incredible speakers for this year’s World Anti Bullying Forum. This forum is of particular interest to me as it offers the opportunity for practitioners and researchers, carers and children to join in this important conversation around anti bullying.

Anti-bullying sits very closely with Inclusion, which is the focus of my work.

As a professional I work on inclusion within education systems and its links to violence in schools. For this introduction I will speak on this years seminar theme Bullying and migration – racism, integration and inclusion from a personal voice.  

This year has been an important year in terms of recognising the nuances and redefinition of bullying and how it can be the pre-curser to racist acts within schools and communities. The links between homophobic bullying and racially motivated bullying for example are becoming more well known which allow us to identify, acknowledge and to act.

I am proud migrant.  I am Gambian , Malian , French, Swedish.  I have lived in 6 countries and I speak 5 languages . I am also a mother to two young children who were born and raised in Sweden. I must admit , I moved to Sweden out of pure curiosity.  Happy in London I was drawn to this country which boasts of feminism, diversity and gender equality. From the outside looking in, I thought to myself this is where I want my children to be born.

A place where my son can dance in a skirt without eyesbrows raised.

A place where my husband can cook and bake without questions asked.

A place where my husband can enjoy as much paternity leave as I do, equally.

A place where my daughter can aspire to leadership roles without glass ceilings.

And so we moved.

We started a family

And I realised I was wrong.

As a new mother I was routinely ignored in medical offices or  baby groups .

My children have been scorned, punched, and worse made to feel like lesser humans before even the age of 6.

Our experience is sadly not unique.

In Sweden Afroswedes are the Swedish minority most exposed to hate and these hate crimes are characterized by a high proportion of physical violence, which often take place in public areas, such as schools, and place of work.

I witnessed this first hand in my first few years in Sweden where I worked in a number of schools and preschools. The exclusion and bullying that I saw in was strongly underlined by homophobia and racism, and what was interesting to note , is that teachers were better equipped to recognise and address the former but not the latter.

I also found it hard to have conversations around race and discrimination. There was a general sense of racial blindness amplified by the fact that Sweden had removed the word race from legislation and common discourse a few years ago.

But bullying relating to race continues to persist.

 In 2018, the FRIENDS report noted that 25% of children in year 1 to 3 reported feeling worried about being alone and excluded during break time. A closer look as to the reason why children were excluded or bullied at school we find  “their country of origin” and their “ethnic background” at the top of the. The  2021, report showed that the figures remain much the same. 

Children tell us that they are systematically excluded.  They tell us that demeaning and racist language is common in schools with the N* word being used frequently by children and adults alike with little to no consequences.

And what sadens me the most, we find in the same reports that only 54% of children trust that the school system and their teachers would react and that there will be consequences to bullying .

Children and parents tell us that there is a lack of support, training and knowledge around racism and discrimination which means children who are victimised are often left without support.

Every year I get a pang of anxiety at the start of term.

Every year I anticipate the call or the message from another parent, another child who has been bullied , victimised or worse, because of the color of their skin.

Every year I dread the call from my childrens school, perhaps its our turn- yet again.

What is means is that as non-white parents are burdened to prepare our children to respond to and defend themselves from racism right from their very first day.

By the age of three my daughter no longer wanted to be brown, she wanted to be normal , so she could also look like a princess. Because all princesses are white right?

By the age of 6 she was surrounded, and punched by a group of children.

Her hair has been pulled at

Her nose questioned

Her identity examined.

Not once, did an adult step in to defend her.

The line between teasing and bullying , violence and aggression seems blurred at times.

Beyond physical acts, our children’s self esteem and self worth is at stake.

And that is where I chose to act. Besides all that I do in this sector, my children asked of me something that I never anticipated. They looked on the bookshelves and asked me where was their story.

That was moment I became a writer of children’s books. Because beyond safeguarding their bodies and their right to safe and quality education, I also wanted to inspire their minds. To show them that their lives matter, that they could be princesses, and astronauts, geologist and librarians. Despite what the media shows, we could be so much more and indeed we are so much more  than a stereotype.

 

Bullying and violence in Swedish schools is well documented in academic and public institutions, however gender and at times class, are the most common lens applied to the analysis,

 given the reluctance to acknowledge race within the Swedish discourse.  Terms such as racially motivated bullying and racially motivated violence in schools are equally new and yet key to addressing it.

All children have the right to be safe in school, and the right to receive the appropriate support and help when needed.  The education system must strive to counteract racism and discrimination while doing parallel work to build inclusion in the education community. Because our children matter.

Thank you.

 

 

I was sitting in London working as a Coordinator for an NGO when I decided to move to Stockholm,
Being pragmatic , I sent my CV to a couple of NGOs and schools as I’ve always had this dual love for Education and Development.
Much to my surprise I got called for an interview in Stockholm within 2 weeks and was offered a job , working a nursery/primary school
just like that moving to stockholm became more concrete.

At that time, I had a BA from UCL, a Masters from IOE and over 5yrs work experience doing project management for NGOs ,including working for the UN.
I spoke English, French, Wolof fluently and had passable Spanish so I figured, id move and within a year I would be sure to find a job in my field again..
we moved
we settled
we learnt Swedish
we started a family..

everything was going smoothly , except on the professional front.

Being the pedantic person that I am, I made an excel sheet of all NGOs I could find in Stockholm and made sure to get on mailing lists and newsletter lists etc
I knew I had to stay 'connected'
I applied for a job almost weekly
I called the ones I wasn’t successful with to get feedback on how to improve my application..
I networked
I attended conferences, all alone to meet people in the field
I created my own group on FB to link professionals (like me) in Sweden within in the Development field
I contacted strangers on linkedin to volunteer and asked for advice for getting access to the Industry from a Swedish Perspective
and still nothing.

I listened to advice from Swedish friends about wording and formatting of my applications
I considered picture on cv , or picture off
I considered changing my last name 'Joof' ( staunchly West African) to my husbands 'Campbell' ( wonderfully international)
but in the end I kept my Joof,
I didnt add a picture either..
I stuck to my formality

During all this time I was still teaching,
I contacted the employment agency, arbetsförmedligen to see if they could help me find the way back to roles that I am passionate and qualified for,
They informed that they could not help as I was not unemployed (this is true) and encouraged me to quit my job and then contact them!

By early this year my energy was running dry.
I still hadn’t managed a single interview in 4 years
All the HR people I spoke to, told me my application was flawless and just to keep trying
By this time I spoke almost fluent Swedish and so submitted my CV in the language that was required.
And yet, still nothing,
In the end, it was through a friend that I had met through teaching in schools, that I found a voluntary role,
I was incredibly grateful and I took the role on , in addition to my full time job.
It drove me insane, working long hours in the school,
running home to be a mum for the few hours that I could and then going out for the volunteering job again
However, the voluntary role paid off and almost led to a paid position.
It wasn’t exactly my field but it was something I was good at, with an NGO that I genuinely cared for.

Right when i was about to sign for that role I got called for an interview.
my first official interview in Sweden
My energy was literally at its lowest,
But I went anyway,
I gave it my all thinking to myself at least it will be real-life practice for the future

It had taken 210 applications,
literally ,
I kept count
I went to the interview feeling like my chances were zero but it was the Dream Job,so I did my best
Right after the interview, They offered me the job

To be honest , I had worked so hard that I couldnt feel that immediate satisfaction or happiness right away
something in my head wanted me to be cautious as it felt too good to be true

I did finally explode with joy on that first day of work 2 months later, standing in front of the mirror in the bathrooms! :)

I still reflect on my journey though
It is still inexplicable how i managed just one interview in 4years of active searching
I had applied for management roles,
lower management roles
admin roles
secretarial roles
and somehow my profile wasn’t suited for any of these..
Sadly, i know too many people who are going through the same situation right now in Sweden,

I've often thought about why I never made it to interview
my background
my ethnicity
my non swedishness
My name
the sheer number of applicants
I guess i will never know,
but after all that , I was certain there was something about me , my profile, that they didn’t want, I know this for sure because during these years I have been invited 3 times for interviews with Large NGOs outside Sweden
How can my profile be desirable for International jobs and yet I cant get an interview as a receptionist in Sweden
If everyone else i knew was happily employed i would take it personally, but the opposite is infact true
I know too many proffesional international persons in Sweden who are experiencing the same
in a society strongly percived as embracing and open to diversity and other cultures the reality on the ground is rather surprising

During my search, I noticed the lack of Diversity over and over again..
at talks, conferences, or even just looking on office websites..
Stockholm society IS multicultural then why are we struggling to see diversity represented in the workplace
Im just going to leave that question there..

For those who are still job hunting;
volunteer, get a paid internship at Arbetsförmedligen, talk to people and dont give up and network, network, network.

I wrote this piece in October 2015 and it saddens me just how relevant it still is to so many people I meet in 2021.

I have had a number of conversations around how I started writing, what drives me and where I get my inspiration from. And in these moments and conversations I have come to realize there is one consistent thread that leads me back to a love of books. My mother.

We grew up moving from country to country and my mother carried our cultural heritage with us everywhere.

In the 80s, a time when there was no Netflix and VCRs were the thing, she made tapes of all our favourite cartoons from Asterix and Obelix to the Smurfs. She brought them with us when we left Belgium and moved to Nigeria. It was a tiny piece of our norm but also would support our french language skills once we moved to an anglophone world.

My mother isn’t a native English speaker and yet she sat with me day after day to help me learn English and do my homework.

We learnt twice as hard, mastering the British English and then moving again only to have to re-learn English and navigate the difference between a courgette and a zucchini.

I remember being a child and moving to a new home in The Gambia. My mum brought the carpenter in and ask them to build a bookcase from wall to wall.

She filled it with books of fiction, facts, fairy tales and everything you can imagine.

I also remember standing in front of that bookcase not too long after, annoyed that there was nothing new to read because I had gone through them all.

In the Gambia in the 90s there were incredibly few libraries around. We were lucky enough to have access to the one at the American School where the librarian Ms Sanyang encouraged me to read..read.. read..

As a family we would often drive from The Gambia through Senegal to Guinea Bissau. For almost 6 hours we would sit in the back and listen to the radio, stare at the countryside, or read.

By the time I was a teen I had read my fair share of Sweet Valley High and the Babysitters club. However, I had also read biographies of Saints, books about the Vietnam War. I had read about the Hmong and Aborigines and more.

Today I realise I have been reading my whole life, never really finding a genre, just reading broadly like an insatiable vessel and I never noticed it.

My mum gave me that gift.

I have also been reflecting on the fact that I am referred to as brave.

Brave to self – publish, when in fact I knew nothing about the publishing industry.

I do not consider myself brave, quite the opposite.

I am scared of rides at theme park, scared of the forest, scared of cockroaches and all sorts of creepy crawlies. I never watch scary movies and I am truly not fond of heights.

I am generally not the brave kind.

However, I am unafraid of new experiences and I trust in my ability to learn.

My mum taught me that.

She taught me to trust me.

That mistakes were part of the cycle, as long as you learnt from them

She taught me that the world is huge and it is mine to discover.

That, plus a strong sense of empathy that I got from my father are the fundamental building blocks that make me, me.

 

When I was at university in London I took a language option class in Spanish.

When it was time to get practical experience of the language, most students took a trip to Spain. I took a trip to Cuba.

I still don’t have a why for that decision, more of a “Why not?”

Most of my peers had a number of questions as to how I would manage in Cuba alone. But not my family, they supported me and just started looking at the practicalities of housing immediately.

Regardless of my choices in life or how far I have gone, I know and I trust that all it takes is a phone call and my mum would be right there.

Something about having faith in myself and having faith that my family are there for me, makes me move in this world different.

It makes me bold.

It focuses my sight on solutions and possibilities.

It helps me fail and get back up again.

 

This week as we celebrated the release of my third book Det Djupa Blå by one of the largest Swedish publishers, I was asked how it felt as a migrant, black woman who just learnt Swedish to be published in such an institution in Swedish!

I remembered my mother, teaching me English with her rolling French accent.

What can I say.  I got it from my mama.  

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May 21: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, a day set aside by the United Nations as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together in harmony.

 

What is your cultural heritage? 

I am ethnically Gambian, Malian, and French. I was born in Nigeria and recently naturalised as a Swede, after having lived here in Stockholm for 10years.  I grew up in Nigeria, Belgium, France and the Gambia but also spent an important part of my life in London, so it is a space that is one of my homes. 

Home for me is not really a geographical space, I often describe it as a place where I feel a deep sense of belonging. Home is space where I know the codes, the norms, where I can move and exists as part of a whole. And I have this sense of belonging, in London, Los Angeles, Banjul, and Paris. 

 

How is  your culture present in your daily life? 

Culture being something present and yet almost subconscious, it is not something we notice we do or partake in even though we do it daily. I think the most evident one for me is language, at home we interchange fluidly  between all the languages we are fluent it. In conversations with my children or partner, we can have one conversation using English, wolof and Swedish  words. We break sentences and use the words that fits right or the language that feels right instead of sticking to one language all the time.  

My 7 year old might say to me “ Maman, I cannot hitta mina skor”-  starting in French, then English and ending in Swedish.. and I think it a perfect way to illustrate how multiculturalism exists in us, it is many separate things and yet still one. 

 We also express multiculturalsim in the music we listen to, the media we watch, the people we meet and the books we read.  

For example given that I grew up with Asterix and Obelix and the Smurfs as THE French Cartoons, my kids were exposed to those first, together with Pippi Longstockings given that they were born in Sweden. In the same way we eat traditional Gambian, Malian, Swedish and French food all the time.  My kids never get pancakes, always crepes, and they know no meatballs other than Swedish meatballs. Their favourite dish is Gambian Domoda a peanut butter stew, so even our diet is reflecting our cultural heritage.

 

What are some aspects around multiculturalism that are often not considered?

 I think that people who are multicultural often have this superpower around adaptability. They know have to navigate and be flexible to change. Living in a global world many organisations need to actively think about the talent they recruit and how they can ensure inclusion in the workspace. 

That includes thinking about gender, ability, ethnicity and multiculturalism.  Working with and thinking about people who are multicultural requires moving away from the assumption that people are just one thing. That is an important skill to practice generally, and can help us address some damaging stereotypes.

 People who are multicultural often have strong cultural competence, which means that in meeting new cultures they can find it easier to build relationships and make meaningful connections. This is an incredible asset in the personal and professional world. 

And finally multicultural people are often, not always multilingual which is again a very strong positive in some many contexts.

 

Has being a multicultural person affected the work you do?

I would say it has, in that today I am work as a global education advisor .  I work with countries across continents and thrive of meeting and building connections with new people. I am comfortable in this work because it confirms to me that we all share this one humanity, and it is recognisable if you look for it.  I also find that I have no preference in which geographical area I work in, I am as happy to work in Romania, Peru or Indonesia, I prioritise based on the education needs.

 Being a multicultural mom and raising multicultural kids has led me to look for books to share with them that reflect our existence and when I found the literature lacking, I launched myself to be a part of the solution.

For 3 years now I have authored children’s books which try to open up the world and have inclusion at the heart of it all. 

It is not news that there is a global lack of diversity in children’s literature. The fact that we even have sections of books called ‘diverse books’ implies that there is a norm of books and the rest is outside that. Books which teach us about the Chinese moon festival, or Holi, are not diverse to me , they are part of the core of all children’s literature. 

 

How does Multiculturalism and children’s literature connect.

One lesson that most parents would agree with me is that we want our children to know that they are more than just one thing. 

 You can be British-Ghanaian, you can be also be great at sports and ballet, you can be a great singer and a scientist, you can love noodles and tacos. 

We want nuance and have the ability to exists in more than one space in our lives and I see children’s literature as a perfect way to start those important conversation’s. 

By reading books that come from different voices, countries, genres, we open up the world, we expand our children’s realities and their dreams. 

And if a child can dream it, they can be it. 

 

 

Here are some of my favourite reads which broaden our world at bedtime: 

The Water Protectors

Our Favourite day of The year

A Story About Afiya

I am Every Good thing

Julian at the Wedding

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns

Malaika’s Surprise

 

 

Top three tips to support parents to encourage an awareness of diversity and inclusion with their children

Think about the colours - 

Reflect on how colours are used in clothing, decors etc to reinforce gender stereotypes. Does your child feel more comfortable in yellow even though blue is the main colour available in one section.. help them choose yellow!

 

2. Think about the toys - 

All toys are for all children, maintain a balance between creative play, learning games, actions figures and whatever else your child likes.  

There is a correction between professional women in STEM related work and girls access to opportunities to play with and explore math and science related games.

 

3. Read a wide range of books-

Spend some time talking to librarians or looking up book blogs to find books that are fun and might offer the opportunity to learn or discover something new. Just like at Easter we might read about the Easter bunny or Christian stories, Ramadan is perfect time to read about Eid Celebrations.

 

4. Beware the Stereotypes 

All media has the potential to reinforce negative stereotypes. We as parents can be more intentional to check what messages are being shared on specific shows, radio programs, or books . If your child loves ballet for example try to find books that show more inclusion in dance where boys, and differently abled people also get to participate.

 

When I turned 30 I had a daughter,

A beautiful remarkable daughter,

She was so much like me and yet nothing like me.

She was quiet, observant, and cautious

I am loud, extrovert, spontaneous.

She loved structure; and would arranged her foods in patterns.

She sorted her toys by colours.

She loved building and creating.

Every time my husband lifted an IKEA box to fix she would be right by his side with her screw driver and other tools.

When I met my husband I used my stiletto heels to hammer in nails, just to explain how much I wasn’t interested in such things.

 

But once I had this wonderful being in my lap,

I decided I would learn everything she was interested in learning.

I nurtured her love for the colour blue

I sat with Lego blocks for hours without being able to create anything while she meticulously built towers.

She received a bunch of dolls and make believe toys but that was never her thing.

She is 7 now and she has still never sat by herself engrossed in make believe play.

And that’s perfectly ok.

My daughter was cheered on by friends, teachers , everyone for breaking gender stereotypes, for doing things that ‘girls didn’t normally do’

 

My son was born and he was another surprise.

He loved to dance, to twirl, to smile.

He was gentle and soft spoken.

He stayed by my side, holding my hand most of the time.

He never jumped on the sofa or wrote on the walls,

He plays with the Barbies and Marvel action heroes, the Paw Patrols and creates scenarios of his own.

He loves to cook me fancy meals in his play kitchen and just yesterday helped me a fancy salad.

Unlike my daughter he is not celebrated for doing things ‘boys don’t normally do’ instead I see the concern in people’s eyes.

I field away ignorant commentary at the rainbows on his cloths or his favourite colour being yellow and red.

I allow him to be himself, without the outside worlds judgement.

The gender bias between the two kids became even more evident when both started dancing ballet. It is one of the few activities they both LOVE.

To have a brown daughter doing ballet – what a feat!

To have a brown son-  silence… raised eyebrows…crooked smiles.

While the comments haven’t affected him, he has noticed that there are so few boys in dance, in the books we read. When he was three he asked me, pointing at the pages of a picture book, “but mama where is me.”

Being a storyteller I decided to address that.

I am well aware of the gender stereotypes that exist and the prejudice that reproduce them. But in my house each child of mine is a little human with their own interests, personality and temperament. That and only that is what determines how I parent them.

Given how different they are from each other, they rarely get the same treatment and we often repeat at home that “being fair doesn’t mean getting the same thing.“

One example is when I want to give them a special snack, my sons favourite would be cured salami or salted pretzel,  while my daughter would love a juicy mango and candy. They often trade snacks at other people’s house because they know one likes the salty and the other the sweet.

One of the simplest ways to address some of these gender stereotypes is to see the child as an individual.

To offer them choices .

To introduce new toys and activities.

ALL toys are for ALL children

ALL colours are for ALL children- it’s up to them to choose, not just between just blue and pink.. there is so much more out there.

Open up possibilities, through introducing role models , there are incredible books that give children dreams to aspire for. Dreams that aren’t boxed into gender stereotypical roles.

ALL children can be great cooks, florists, architects, managers, nurses, creators etc etc etc..

If a child can dream it they can become it.

 

This May 2021 I am releasing a new picture book. illustrated by Sawyer Cloud, Ballet with Heart is the next adventure for Louis and Ella. Join them as they start ballet classes.

This unique book which promotes inclusion, tells the story of friendship and the love of dance for ALL children.

Support our crowdfunding by pre-ordering your book :

Pre-Order here! Get a Sneak-Peek below! Ballet with Heart

 

 

I grew up by the sea.

A short stroll and you could feel the salt air settle on your lips.

I can count on my fingers the number of times I went in the water to bathe.

I never learnt to swim.

I loved the water from afar and continued to love it when I moved, to live in various new countries.

Many years later, I got a daughter of my own and she was born with fear of water rooted in her.
I was determined not to pass on my hesitation,  but it seemed she inherited it nonetheless.

“ a peek from afar was more than enough”

The first time she sat by the sea with me, I encouraged and coaxed. I did my best to get her to at least dip her little toes, but she looked at me and said mama it's too loud.

I had never reflected on the crashing waves in senegambia, on how mighty they might seem to one so small, and how terrifying they might sound to tiny ears.

So I held her close and we let the moment pass.

Through the years, every summer and most autumns we would visit lakes, streams, paddling pools.

She would watch, and she would think, and let me know it wasn't time.

We carried on like this until she was 5 and I signed her up for swimming classes.

Armed with her closest friends, she went in!

Victory!

She played and she learnt techniques carefully.

She moved around the water, making sure not a single drop touched her face.

Water on her face still meant total panic and chaos but she was in the water and that in itself was a beauty.

One summer
In the warm Gotland sun,
I watched her play in the pool.
Her bath ring and arm rings, snorkel and goggles, she splashed around having the time of her life.

Then she stood up, took it all off and she hopped in.
She swam under water for half the length and came up for air.
In that moment, I felt crushing fear and elation within the same breath.

She swam.

She still swims now, under the water somehow finding comfort beneath the big blue.

When she was small I wrote her a story about courage, persistence and time.

Taking the time to face what you fear until it becomes one with you.

That little story birthed a new picture book titled;

The Big Blue / Det Djupa Blå.

The award winning illustrator, Mathilda Ruta has created a magical world of water for my story and Raben & Sjogren will publish it in summer 2021.

Raben & Sjögren was founded in 1941 and two years later, the legendary Astrid Lindgren joined the publishing house. All Astrid’s books are published by Raben & Sjögren, and she worked there as an editor and director of the children’s books department.

Astrid Lindgren has always inspired me, as a pioneer of her time and a champion of children and child rights. Stories like Pippi Longstockings have enchanted children for generations and the house that brought her stories to life, will now publish my little book.

I am humbled.

Summer 2021 might seem like a long way, away so here is a sneak peek at what is to come..

We cannot wait to share a tiny part of our story with you.  

Order your copy from our distributors:

Adlibris: https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/det-djupa-bla-9789129728644

Bokus: https://www.bokus.com/bok/9789129728644/det-djupa-bla/

Akademibokhandel: https://www.akademibokhandeln.se/.../det.../9789129728644/

For Mbife, 2020 was a rollercoaster and the peek of this incredible ride was the birth to a new book. Our Favourite Things is an unconventional book, one of a kind. It lacks dramatic ark, perfect artistic design and character development. Instead it offers glimpses of lives of millions of children and families all over the world. It creates emotional connections. It offers positive male parenting, challenges gender roles, introduces new contexts, cultures and foods for the reader.

The book is different but different is where Mbife excels.

Together with the incredible illustrator Sawyer Cloud we created a window into our lives and redefined the concept of home.

My first book Mangoes & Monkeybread was selected as Teachers Pick by the giants at Amazon which was truly a celebration. The book is available in English, Swedish , French and Wolof. Wolof being the one I am MOST proud of.

Given the extensive amount of work involved in running my business I often look to my center, my motivation and reason for writing and that remains my children.

So this 2021, pandemic or not, we will crowd-fund for a new book, a ballet book .

At the center of the story is my son and his love for ballet, how it matches his sisters and how this must be normalized. All children should enjoy dance without prejudice or judgement.

I will be working with Sawyer again and we cant wait to introduce some old friends and some new one to you this spring.

The book will be crowd funded with the official launch happening in February 2021. There will be exciting rewards for each donation.

Keep updated with the fundraiser HERE.

And if that wasnt exciting enough we have one more exciting piece of news which will be shared on the 25th January 2021. All I can give is this tiny hint from my post on 26th February2019..

Announcement to be made 25th January 2021!

Thank you for walking this journey with us.

We are a small black-owned company but our books are available in several languages for purchase across a number of countries. If you are unable to purchase in our webshop here, do contact some of our distributors below:

www.elsaochsam.com

www.amazon.com

www.adlibris.com

www.bokus.com

www.blackbabybooks.com

www.barnesandnoble.com

www.walmart.com

The books are also sold in Dakar, Senegal -

Chez Alpha Books

In the UK

Ruby Reads

In the Gambia

Timbooktoo

"Will Santa come even if there is no snow?”

My kids asked me that question this week and it reminded me of a time when I was smaller and had the same  question running through my mind.
Would Santa come where the sand is red?
Where the coconut trees line the streets?
Where mosques and churches stand side by side?

As a child I loved Christmas but my Christmas was never shown in books or on TV.

My Christmas involved family gatherings, boat latterns, carols, garlands, midnight mass, pepper soup and so much more.

I would look up at the sky and wonder how Santa would deliver presents since I had no chimney.

Santa is victim of a single story.

Christmas even though celebrated a million ways by even more people is often portrayed one single way.

Traditions, cultures, religious norms, all melt together and evolve over time and it is important that children are able to see that, to feel a part of that even if the story had one single point of origin.

Books can play an important part in creating this sense of belonging.

Santa, fairies, elves, mermaids all capture the imagination and hearts of children everywhere and can be portrayed in a multitudes of ways, if only we as adults dare to believe in their magic.

Here are some books that we are reading about Christmas and how it is celebrated.

Christmas in Lagos

Author Sharon Abimbola Salu.

Art by Maria Nikla

All the Colours of Christmas

Author Matthew Paul Turner 
Art Gillian Gamble

A Pinata in a Pine Tree

Author Pat Mora

Art by Magaly Morales

A World of cookies for Santa

Author M.E. Furman

Art by Susan Gal

I Got the Christmas Spirit

Author Connie Schofield-Morrison

Art by Frank Morrison

Ming's Christmas Wishes

Author Susan L. Gong

Art by Masahiro Tateishi

Ten ways to hear snow

Author Cathy Camper

Art by Kenard Pak