The designation of the month of May as Africa Month and the 25th May as Africa Day originates in the founding of the Organization of African Unity [OAU] in Addis Ababa. This event took place in 1963, after the independence of Ethiopia. Superseded in 2001 by the African Union, the OAU was created to deliver diplomatic interventions, mediate in boundary conflicts, regional and civil wars and to support liberation movements.
As the years have unfolded, Africa Month and Africa Day have come to mean far more than a commemoration of the independence of African nations from colonial masters or freedom from conflict and even that priceless variable called unity. Across the world, the month of May has evolved into an annual time–span set aside to celebrate Africa as a productive and immensely valuable region: her dizzying wealth of cultures and languages; her vast reserves of mineral resources; her vast, varied and rich landscapes and her human populations from which have emerged some of the world’s most gifted and dedicated artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, thinkers and leaders in every field of human endeavour.
The theme of Africa Day in 2021 is: Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development and Intensifying the Fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic.
While we recognize too well the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and salute the sacrifice made daily by heroes on the front-lines of the war against the Coronavirus, at pan-African we have chosen to focus on the first war mentioned in this year’s theme: the war against guns. We will celebrate the antidote to violence which is the knowledge and understanding that promote peace.
Inaugurated on 23rd April, World Book & Copyright Day, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Book Club African Chapter seeks to impart to the children of Africa and the wider world an understanding of sustainable living through interaction with great books of all kinds that introduce principles of economic, social and environmental justice. The inaugural reading lists address the themes of SDG 1 – No Poverty and SDG 2 – Zero Hunger. Parents, educators, here they are!
SDG 1: No poverty
English:
Author: Ama Worla; Illustrator: Cycil Abban Jones; Publisher: Mountype Publishers (GHANA)
Leg Power: Victor Wanyama
Author: Jimmy Asudi
Illustrator: Abel Murumba; Publisher: Nsemia Inc. Publishers (KENYA)
Monkey Business
Author: Chukwuemeka Iroegbu Chukwudi
Publisher: University Press Plc (NIGERIA)
Village Boy
Author: Anietie Usen
Illustrator: Mike Asukwo; Publisher: Origami – imprint of Parresia Publishers
(NIGERIA)
Arabic:
The Feast Dress
Author: Abeer Mohamed Anwar
Illustrator: Sahar Abdullah; Publisher: Nahdit Misr Publishing Group (EGYPT)
Kiswahili:
Hatima ya Musa
Author: Dominic Maina
Illustrator: Tonny Siema; Publisher: Queenex Publisher (KENYA)
Utenzi Haki za Watoto
Author: Yusuf Abbas
Illustrator: Khalid Yusuf; Publisher: Readit Books Ltd (TANZANIA)
Honorary language: Akan (Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire)
Kweku Anansi and His New Wife
by Farida Salifu
E-Library: World Stories
SDG 2: Zero hunger
English:
Chokora: A Kenyan Scavenger
Author: PGN Mbugwa
Illustrator: Robert Maina; Publisher: Nsemia Inc. Publishers (KENYA)
Koko Grows Food
Author: Maliya Mzyece Sililo
Illustrator: Harrington Kanyanta; Publisher: Sotrane Publishers (ZAMBIA)
The Magic Formula
Author: Ibrahima Ndiaye
Illustrator: Capucine Mazille; Publisher: Bakame Editions (RWANDA)
Sabina: The Rain Girl
Author: Christopher Okemwa
Illustrator: Abel Murumba; Publisher: Nsemia Inc. Publishers (KENYA)
Arabic:
Farhan and Farha Adventure in the Village
Author: Harun Abubakar and F. Shariff
Illustrator: Denis Muchiri; Publisher: Atfaal Publishers Limited (KENYA)
French:
L’arbre au secret
Author: John Kilaka
Illustrator: John Kilaka; Translator: Jean René; Publisher: Yanbow Al Kitab (MORROCO)
Kiswahili:
Kijiji cha Ukame
Author: Hamisi Babusa
Publisher: Storymoja Publishers (KENYA)
Debe la Dhahabu
Author: Mehta Abeid
Illustrator: Abdul Gugu; Publisher: Mathews Bookstore & Stationers (TANZANIA)
Honorary language: Yoruba (West Africa, Cuba, Brazil)
Alake, the Cold Water Seller
Author: Omolara Fadiya
Publisher: Rasmed Publications (NIGERIA)
Buy these wonderful books for your children – they are priceless gifts!
