Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Black News’ Staff
Published on 2024-04-18 17:46:14
IBBY Ethiopia and Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) have collaborated to address the literacy challenges in Ethiopia, a country with a large population but lacking in sufficient quality children’s books in local languages. This collaboration aims to bring books and children together in Ethiopia and beyond.
One major milestone for IBBY Ethiopia was its participation in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) in April 2024. This fair is a premier event in the industry that attracts a global audience. As part of the Spotlight on Africa Pavilion, IBBY Ethiopia was featured alongside thirty African publishers, offering networking opportunities and seminars led by international publishing professionals.
IBBY Ethiopia also released its first Honour List submissions, focusing on selecting books that represent the best in children’s literature from Ethiopia and are suitable for publication worldwide. This selection provides insights into diverse cultural, political, and social settings for children, aiding in developing educational and literacy programs globally. Additionally, IBBY Ethiopia successfully advocated for an endangered languages section to be included in the Honour List.
The nominated titles for the Honour List cover writing, illustration, translators, and endangered languages. Bilingual books in Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Somali, and Tigrinya were recognized for their literary contributions. Notable titles include “Mothers and Daughters,” “A Story of Hope,” “No One Stops My Dream,” and “Our Life Is on the Lake.” Illustration was highlighted with “The Boy Who Never Gave Up!” while translators were recognized for their work in translating these books into various Ethiopian languages. Additionally, a book in an endangered Anuak language, “The Lonely Nile Perch,” was included in the selection.
Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) is a Seattle-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literacy, inclusion, innovation readiness, and leadership skills in Ethiopia and beyond. OHBD sponsored the launch of IBBY Ethiopia as a new National Section of IBBY, with a focus on increasing access to quality books and fostering a love of reading in Ethiopia.
For more information, interested individuals can visit the websites of IBBY Ethiopia, the IBBY Honour List, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and OHBD. These resources provide comprehensive details on the initiatives, events, and collaborations aimed at improving literacy and book access in Ethiopia and across the globe.
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 and Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD) are proud to announce two developments as part of their ongoing collaboration to bring books and children together in Ethiopia and around the globe.Ethiopia is Africa’s second-most populous country, but tens of millions){kind=link}