A beautiful way of preserving language and reminding us about heritage this month…
We first heard about this book from our very own author, Carol Ofori, who shared that she has this on her kids’ book shelf.
‘My Zulu ABC Book’ not only is a great way to teach children the alphabet in Zulu, but also a wonderful reminder of language preservation.
Especially in this fast paced, overly communicative world where so many blanks are present in the handing down of traditions, cultures, and generational practices.
This is why it is so important for our generation to merge these gaps as best as we can, so that our kids can continue our cultural heritage for future generations.
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The journey to creating ‘My Zulu ABC Book’ started when Nhlanhlo Charmaine Duma found a gap in the market when it came to finding Zulu books for her first child.
Duma said: “When my first daughter was around 3 years old, I started creating bilingual charts for
her in Zulu and English to help improve her Zulu proficiency.
“I did this because she
was learning the alphabet, shapes, colours and how to count at school, but all in
English, and I wasn’t finding enough books for in Zulu.”
It is so inspiring to hear that what started off as power point slide presentations emerged and grew into becoming ‘My Zulu ABC Book’, then ‘My
Zulu ABC Song’, and now even ‘My Zulu ABC Video’.
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Duma says that she and her family created this book series as a way of instilling pride in their children – and also as a way of preserving the Zulu dialect.
It is something special when we see our children beam with pride when they see other children who look like them.
Not only do they feel connected to something that is in a story book, but it allows them to feel worthy, deserving, and acknowledged.
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The bilingual picture book that depicts the letters of the alphabet in Zulu with English translations was published under Duma’s publishing company, FUNDA-Mentals.
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