Darko: How stressful are
your duties as head of Golden Baobab?
Deborah: I have been
running Golden Baobab for about ten years now. So, in terms of stress, I think,
after ten years you figure out a system to manage your responsibilities. So
it’s not necessarily stressful. It’s my job, and I get it done. If there’s any
challenge at all, beyond Golden Baobab, it has always been a vision aimed at
supporting authors and illustrators of children’s books across the continent.
Now we have African
Bureau Stories, a publishing business with the objective to publish and
distribute; even to the reach of children in less-privileged communities. I
still wouldn’t call it stressful, because the challenge of our job is the scope
of our vision. And we are fired-up to do more and more every day.
Darko: How high have the
standards been, at the review of the last five judgments of your award scheme?
Deborah: One thing we
never compromise is standard. Our’s is so high. Amongst other reasons, we
believe that children deserve the best. And our children don’t deserve any less
than children around the world. So we use the highest standard to evaluate our
stories. We work with a jury that delivers quality service. By ensuring that we
do well on the prize stage, we challenge the creativity of our applicants. And
we end-up getting stories which are interesting and wholesome for a publisher’s
investment.
At the end of the day, Golden
Baobab and African Bureau Stories are established to shape a thriving
children’s literature across the continent, and round the world – so that
African children’s narrative can become mainstream within the international
publishing industry.
Darko: As crucial as
donations and grants are to your service, has your organization ever had any
difficulty with solicitation, receipt, and management of funds?
Deborah: Every organization has
challenges with raising money, even governments. That goes without saying that;
that has been a challenge we have to overcome, although our track records show
that we have over the decade managed our funds very successfully.
We’re one of the
prestigious prizes on the continent, in terms of the value of prize money we
give out. At this point in Golden Baobab’s growth, we are determined – not only
focused on the generosity of money – to direct our resources at strengthening
the capacity of authors and illustrators. So, moving forward, that’s how we
would focus our fundraising effort.
Darko: If not a mere rhetoric,
on what basis of commitment did you declare: “I’m not successful until millions
of African children see themselves in books we’re creating”?
Deborah: It’s definitely
not rhetoric. I am convinced that that should be the standard, because there
are millions of African children. And those millions are not seeing themselves
in the books they read. That’s a problem. The norm should actually be that
children across the continent could all see themselves in the books they read.
When billions of white children get up every day and see themselves in hundreds
of books, why can’t every African child have the right of availability of
stories that reflect his culture? That should neither be a lofty goal, nor
impossibility. So what drives me to say so; is my frustration with the
injustice that that isn’t the norm. African children should, of course, read
stories about other cultures. But it mustn’t exclude theirs.
Darko: Beyond the
illustration of Negroid characters, how best could a child’s book be written to
reflect his African identity?
Deborah: We actually
don’t promote white culture or black culture. Golden Baobab is very Pan-African.
In our embracing of all cultures, we recognize all people who identify as
Africans. So we embrace White Africans and Arab Africans. I mean we are open to
the broad definition of the dynamic cultures within the diverse African race. An
author’s background is very significant. For example: if a North African
grandmother writes a story, it would be different from the stories of a Ugandan
teacher, and that of a coloured South African mother. So, our openness to the
various talents enables us to certify a variety that is representative of
modern Africa.
Darko: How different is
your opinion to the perception that folktales are “too commonplace” for
contemporary consumption?
Deborah: Folktales will
never be too commonplace. Besides, the African continent is not only full of folklore. So why can’t that be represented in our stories, in other to meet
the varied interest of the African child. It should be recognized that children
have different reading taste – ranging from sci-fi, to fantasy, to comedy, to
contemporary stories. When such variety is not available, it’s quite possible
someone would have a reason to argue the ‘commonplace’ perception.
Darko: In a world where
other business objectives are prioritized, should the author of children’s
literature, in his art, bear any conscious responsibility towards the moral
development of his minor reader?
Deborah: This is a very
good question. As a person who appreciates the art, I think it’s unfair to levy
on the artist the role to morally develop any reader. The role of the artist is
to hatch, mold and transform readers into thinking critically for the
development of society. In terms of children’s literature, studies indicate
that children most likely wouldn’t favour a book with thorough preaching
content. Young readers prefer a bit of moral lessons, a bit of humour, and a
combination of experiences. And that is what our publishing company offers.
Darko: At the rise of
the import of foreign books, how low has your publishing partners assessed the
current local demand for content of Afro-cultural interest?
Deborah: High
importation is a situation the publishing industry in Ghana, and across the
continent, has to deal with. As a publisher, that becomes a competition.
However, when we take a positive look, we can challenge ourselves to meet, and
even exceed the market standards. And when that is achieved, our books, on the
reverse, would also be demanded elsewhere. So, our business is making a
conscious effort and choice to focus on the positive side of what the market
situation offers us – and thereby produce books that can rival any of the best
books in the world. As keen as we are, we have been exporting books to retail
partners in USA. We have also sold rights of one of our titles for translation
into eight southern African languages, whose publications are available in five
southern African countries.
Darko: Since Golden
Baobab, by virtue of independence and exclusivity, seems privileged to national
monopoly, what factors could advance or determine its international
competitiveness?
Deborah: There is only
one factor that determines international competitiveness. That is just the
keeping to high standards: high standards of integrity, high standard of
business performance, high standard of service, with professionalism. By virtue
of our Pan-African vision, we can’t make any impact without being competitive.
No-one can survive in the global arena with low standards.
Darko: What one policy
or law would you want granted or amended if you had any opportunity to
influence legislation on early childhood education in Ghana?
Deborah: If I have a
magic wand that could change anything, it would be a policy mandating the need
for children to start reading, particularly fiction, from an early age. Such
policy should ensure that schools prescribe not only text books, but creative
literature. United Kingdom produces hundreds of children’s books per annum – as
against a production of ten by Nigeria. Ghana falls below the least of the
records.
The total of locally
published children’s titles, to date, would hardly exceed two hundred. So if I
could, I would influence a policy for the demand of well-produced fiction for
children.
