Books create a sense of curiosity and adventure and that is exactly what award-winning Author, Poet, Anthropologist and PhD candidate, Lebohang Masango's children's books continue to do, while promoting and preserving culture and mother tongue-based literacy.
Lebohang Masango's latest offering titled 'Nanana Boselesele', is finally here. The new book which is illustrated in collaboration with Subi Bosa, whose work Lebohang absolutely adores, as well as Ethnikids and Wimpy, was released on Women's Day in South Africa (9th August 2021). This is one of six collectible from Wimpy, free with every kids' promo meal and you can collect all six and create a beautiful artwork with the back covers.
The collaboration with Wimpy and Ethnikids is part of the 'Our Stories Your Language' initiative backed by said brands, and features six South African short stories for kids and in all of the eleven official languages. Some of the stories are reimagined South African folktales that have been told for generations, while others are original creations by local authors. The initiative believes these are the stories that South African children can relate to, because they speak of a world they know. So, they have to tell them and keep on telling them, because that’s how they keep these stories safe and ensure they live on.
Synopsis: Nanana Boselesele tells the story of Nanana Boselesele, a caring, brave and heroic mother who reminds Lebohang so much of her own amazing mom and so many moms who would go to the ends of the earth for their children.
"The aim was to revisit a classic South African folk tale and present it to today’s children. I enjoy writing about the city so I updated my favourite to include an urban setting. As a child, I always loved getting a free toy with my burger and cold drink so it’s really exciting to know that Wimpy has put a fresh twist on that by ensuring that South African children get books instead. It’s such a joy to collaborate with brands and organisations that put children’s wellbeing and literacy at the heart of their work," says Lebohang.
Furthermore, this is the one story she recalls her mother telling her from memory when she was younger because they mostly read books. What struck her then and now is that Nanana Boselesele is a caring, brave and heroic mother who reminds me so much of my own amazing mom and so many moms who would go to the ends of the earth for their children. That's why it was so easy to remember, research and remix it for Wimpy and Ethnikids.
Last year she published
Mpumi & Jabu's Magical Day, which has since been translated into twelve languages namely: English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Setswana, Sesotho, Sepedi, Xistonga, Tshivenda, isiNdebele, siSwati and French.
In addition to Nanana Boselesele, since 2018, the acclaimed author boasts a collection of published material, which includes
Mpumi's Magic Beads, co-authored
Mpumi And Jabu's Magical Day! with Professor Claudine Storbeck, the Director for the Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has also co-authored Grow to Be Great: Awesome African Achievers with Dr Judy Dlamini, co-authored O Šomile, Kolobe Ya Ditšhila for a child protection NGO in 2020 and written The Great Cake Contest as part of the voluntary literacy initiative Book Dash in 2018.
When she's not busy pursuing her PhD degree in progress and writing children's books, Lebohang uses her poetry to celebrate culture in addition to working on developmental initiatives with international children's rights agencies such as UNICEF.
The multitalented creative has expressed numerous times on twitter how she cannot wait to complete her PhD and focus on writing children's books. Either way, she still finds time to do what she loves despite the demanding nature of PhD studies, she still managed to release a new book this year. Talk about discipline and dedication in action.
Nanana Boselesele is available at Wimpy for free with every Wimpy kids’ combo meal!
Click here for more information on how to buy Lebohang's previous books.
References:
Lebohang Masango | Website | Instagram
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