Snow, scorpions, Dr. Seuss: What Kenyan kids talked about with top U.S. kids’ authors

American children’s authors visited a school in rural Kenya to engage with students and promote literacy.

Background: Award-winning author and illustrator Jerry Craft, along with a team led by bestselling author Kwame Alexander, visited Nyaani Primary School in Wamunyu, Kenya.
* This marked Craft’s first visit to a school outside of the United States.
* The team, consisting of 22 experts and advocates, covered a wide range of topics, aiming to promote literacy and share their experiences with the Kenyan students.

Local Interaction: Craft engaged in a variety of interactions with the local children, learning about their experiences and sharing stories from America.
* Craft received a Swahili name, “Nyeusi”, which means “Black”.
* Discussions touched upon cultural elements such as language, wildlife, and contrasting weather phenomena like snow.
* Craft learned that many students spoke English, Swahili, and often, other indigenous languages.

Surprises and Challenges: The American team encountered unexpected situations and cultural differences.
* Craft was initially surprised at the lack of electricity in the school.
* References to snow caused confusion among the Kenyan children, given its absence from their local climate.
* Alexander noticed a more disciplined environment in these classrooms, which was challenging for his interactive teaching style.

Future Plans: Alexander and others plan to continue these efforts with an intention to organize a global literacy summit in Kenya.
* The trip significantly impacted the authors, spurring intentions to return and continue their work.
* The trip also motivated local students to imagine opportunities that writing could offer, like traveling the world or earning money.

Gabriel Dinda, executive director of Writers Guild Kenya, expressed the positive impact of such international author visits on local communities, emphasising the need for more such initiatives.

View original article on NPR

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