Books for Rural Schools in Africa and children everywhere! |
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This is where Project Bazia and Africans United both started with a philosophical memoir by a man from South Sudan. Antoni Bazia grew up in Wau and Khartoum when Sudan was still a united country. As the son of a chief, Henry Bazia, he had blessings that many of his compatriots could only dream of: physical security, economic advantages, and education. But he was also raised with a dream of a better world for his fellow Sudanese and for the children of the world. Chocolate Boy is about his life from ages 9 to 12 as he tries to become himself and build the foundation of the mission which will consume his adult life. It is a story of struggle, aspiration, and inspiration.
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Monkey begins with a well-known African folk-tale in which a monkey sets out to explore the world along the banks of the Nile River because of a very disappointing friendship. Along the way, he searches for acceptance as a kind and gentle character in a world where far too often such individuals are misjudged and abused. Easily read by the fourth year of English instruction, Monkey teaches good citizenship, admirable work values, and the meaning of kindness. The authors are Ann B. Smith and Antoni Bazia. The illustrations are by Steven Niem.
Hippo and Hoopoe is an excellent choice for a new English student as his or her first reader. Illustrated in black and white sketches and written in basic sight words or words that rhyme, the two friends, a hippo and a hoopoe bird, avoid predators and escape from danger as partners. There are teaching materials at the end which help with English grammar lessons, vocabulary, and reading comprehension as well as discussing the environmental issues of poaching and hunting native species to extinction. The text was created by Ann B. Smith and the illustrations by Steven Niem.
Our most recent publication for children is also the simplest and can be used for instruction in the basic numbers one through ten for speakers and learners of English in any country in the world. It contains wonderful illustrations by a Malawian painter, Atupele Machika, and a simple rhyming text which associates each number with an example from universal human experience such as Two wings to fly! In the back of the book are brightly-colored teaching tools for each number, showing the numerals used by English speakers (1-10) Roman numerals (I-X), and those used by Arabic speakers as well as the rational for familiarity with all these numerals in our daily lives. The text and teaching tools were designed by Ann B. Smith.
Where Am I From? was written especially for the children of South Sudan living in diaspora. It is a very large book which covers the geography, history, culture, wildlife, and problems of the world's newest nation. In order to illustrate that every new nation has faced many seemingly impossible challenges, South Sudan's government and her present political and cultural situation are compared with the early years of the United States. The authors, Antoni Bazia and Ann B. Smith, have avoided political, religious, and ethnic bias in describing the situation in Mr. Bazia's homeland. They have tempered the often negative press about South Sudan with understanding for the difficulty of building a modern nation by citizens who are emerging from colonialism and an often primitive lifestyle. This book also contains many positive solutions to the economic problems which the nation faces. It includes pictures of South Sudanese families living in diaspora.
God Bless South Sudan takes its title from the national anthem of this country, the newest nation on planet Earth. The book can also be purchased under another title, Bless South Sudan where there is an objection to materials seemingly promoting religion. This book is organized as an alphabetical coloring book which presents three references for each letter A to Z of the history, government, geography, or culture of South Sudan. It contains simple pictures, photographs, and the shapes of the original ten states (puzzle making, anyone?) as proposed by the founding father, John Garang. If you are acquainted with a South Sudanese child who lives in diaspora, this is an excellent and unbiased presentation of where this child's ancestry came from. It was created by Antoni Bazia and Ann B. Smith with the eventual peace and progress of South Sudan in mind.
Clara's Dream is a novel based on the struggles of a generic South Sudanese family living in the diaspora of the United KIngdom. Each member of the family, father, mother, adult son, and elder daughter struggle in different ways to find his or her role in the future of their ancestral country as their new homeland is forged into a nation, but it is the youngest child, Clara, who comprehends the greater dream and whose belief in the future of South Sudan is conceptualized on the cover. The author, Halla Roro, herself a South Sudanese immigrant living in the UK, has extensive experience with the struggles of her people in diaspora, and she portrays these challenges with sympathy, hope, and love for her compatriots.