Roald Dahl once said ‘If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.’
The quality of books a child reads is crucial to their future. Building an outstanding adult can be achieved by training a child’s mind from a young age.
This is the reason it is important to create captivating stories that engage children’s imagination and instill valuable life lessons.
It is amazing to find a series of children’s books written about notable African figures like MKO Abiola, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf by Olamidotun Votu-Obada. This is so rare and amazing for us as a people.
More books like this are needed because they are about great lives that our children, particularly those born in the diaspora, have not even heard about.
Children’s books that depict real life African characters and inspire children to see themselves in those characters and dream of becoming more than their current circumstances are more important than ever in today’s fast-paced world.
More families and children are relocating from Nigeria every day and some are losing their sense of identity.
These books are important to empower and ignite the imagination of young minds through stories of real-life African inspiring characters.
In Africa alone, there are many inspirational figures whose stories have never been told.
These stories need to be told as a way to give back and ensure our stories are remembered. Most children’s books are usually about characters like George Washington and other non-African characters. It’s rare to find ones about our own people – Africans.
These stories by Olamidotun Votu-Obada highlight the achievements of notable individuals such as MKO Abiola, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
The way these books are told is so that children can learn and be inspired to be better. The sharing of these iconic figures’ lives and legacies is meant to illuminate their resilience, passion, and impact on society, all in ways that children can read, enjoy and comprehend.
The power of each book is its ability to serve as educational tools that instill the values of courage, activism, and cultural pride in young minds. Besides entertaining and inspiring young readers, these books and the author, Olamidotun Votu-Obada, are dedicated to making a positive impact on the community.
The positive reception these books have received, both at home and abroad, are inspiring in themselves. Black History Month and other events at schools in Ontario, Canada have been a time where some of these books were read. All of these books were also successfully launched in Canada by Olamidotun Votu-Obada, the author.
The event was well-attended witg dignitaries, such as the mayor of Oakville and other MPs, attend. Even more amazing, ‘Be Inspired By MKO Abiola’ was presented to the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
During these moments, children and adults from all races showed a great deal of enthusiasm and commitment to learning about heroes from Africa.
It’s amazing to see African stories resonate with audiences around the world.
Children need more stories like this about the lives of individuals who are most inspiring and influential. All with the aim of inspiring children, broadening the horizons of young readers, and fostering a deeper understanding of our history and culture.
