Award-winning radio presenter and television host Carol Ofori expands her horizons as she ventures into the world of literature.
An avid reader herself, Ofori says she feels “blessed” to have written a series of six children’s books titled “The African Adventures of Sena and Katlego”, to celebrate the beauty of Africa.
“When I had the books in my hand I just couldn’t believe it. I literally wanted to cry because it was a dream for me to see these books come to life and there they are, looking at me!” says Ofori.
“Seeing the character and the story come to life just does something to you. It’s an out-of-body experience and I just feel so humbled.”
As a mother, Ofori says loves reading bedtime stories to her children but she “grew tired” of not being able to show them pictures of characters who bear resemblance to them.
“I was inspired to write the book because there just isn’t anything like this out there. It was a need. The truth is, there are still not many books on the shelf which tell the stories of little black children.
“Sena is a black boy who travels around this beautiful continent. I wanted to celebrate Africa in this book and I wanted my children to grow up knowing what happens in these beautiful African countries and not just the negativity that we dispel on each other.
“I feel African children from different countries will be able to see themselves in the book, learn about these different countries and be inspired to travel Africa.
“It’s essentially shining a spotlight on our continent, and unfortunately there is still a disconnect where there aren’t many books about Africa available.
“That’s what I want children to get out of it, and in future I would love to see these books in the South African syllabus and African syllabus as well. These are beautiful stories for kids.”
There are six books and each book explores a different African country, including South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, eSwatini and Chad.
“Each story explores a country and the different elements that country brings. For example, I don’t want to give away too much, but in South Africa, Sena goes to Durban and he visits the beach and he enjoys a South African meal with his grandmother.
“In Uganda, Sena finds out about the equator and discovers the country’s food and the animals there. In eSwatini, he gets a different experience and learns about the monarchy.”
The books will hits the shelves in April and will be available in all bookstores nationwide.