Jahohora and First Day
A new children’s book is launched this Thursday at the Goethe Centre in Windhoek.
Following the success of Mama Namibia, author Mari Serebrov (adoptive daughter of the late Herero Paramount Chief Kuiama Riruako) has written a children’s story about the Herero culture.
The German Embassy has generously funded the printing of this publication, Jahohora and First Day, which is to be launched on Thursday, 27 November at 12:00 at the Goethe Centre in Windhoek.
The book is written in three languages: English, Otjiherero and German. “As I was writing the first part of Mama Namibia, I thought that some of the scenes with Jahohora would make good children’s books. When I mentioned the idea to Tate, the late Chief Riruako, he urged me to do a children’s series to celebrate traditional Herero culture prior to the genocide.
This book could not have been written without his encouragement and the help of my cousins, Dr. Hoze Riruako and Belinda Veii Riruako,” said Serebrov. Following the launch of Mama Namibia in 2013, the late Chief Riruako named Mari Serebrov the literary laureate of the Herero.
This book is published by Wordweaver Publishing House, as part of their commitment to publishing children’s books in local languages, and by doing so, opening the world of reading to new generations in Namibia. The German Ambassador, H.E. Onno Hückmann emphasized the importance of supporting reading culture in Namibia as “thanks to this book, many children from all backgrounds in Namibia will have access to this story from traditional Herero culture.” The book is illustrated by Romeo Sinkala. “I can’t say enough about Romeo’s illustrations.
He did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life. When I first saw his work, I knew he was the one to illustrate the series” said an enthusiastic Serebron. The book will be available at the launch, at book stores country wide, and directly from Wordweaver’s offices in Diehl Street in Windhoek.
