Books For Africa Provides French Books by Senegalese Author to Dakar Primary School

Books For Africa has a special French Books Initiative to provide appropriate materials to French-speaking readers in Africa. This initiative most often works through BFA partners in Paris and Montreal to provide French-speaking materials, but sometimes we find other opportunities.

Books For Africa recently worked with a partner in Dakar, Senegal, to order copies of the children’s book “Fadia,” written by Senegalese author Sokhna Benga and illustrated by Laye Samb. This is a seven-volume African series for children under age 13, published by Éditions Oxyzone.

The books were distributed to children at the Abass Sall School Complex in Dakar. As you can see from the video feedback, it was a very exciting day and we even got a thank-you in French!

Bachir Gueye, who oversaw book distribution in Dakar, said, “[the students] loved them because there weren’t previously a lot of books, and they would have to leave them at the library and take turns reading them there one class at a time. They loved the story of Fadia, and a lot of them asked where Books For Africa is.”

Books For Africa is pleased to be able to provide language-accessible materials while supporting African authors and illustrators when possible!