The Authors Among Us
If you’re anything like me, then at some point you have thought about writing a book. Imagining it is one thing, and doing it is entirely another! A number of grantee partners in the Segal Family Foundation portfolio have published titles in varying genres, and some have shared with us the behind-the-scenes (or should that be behind-the-cover?) of the process. They have walked different paths to becoming authors, with different aims in mind, still sharing in common their work as visionary leaders of local African organizations.
For some, like Muthi Nhlema of BASEflow, writing is simply a way of life. Since childhood, Nhlema has been fascinated by words and their impact, sensing even then that he himself was going to write one day. Later, after reading a short story that he found lacking, Nhlema also realized that he needed to earn the right to criticize the work—the only way to do that being to pick up the pen himself, in keeping with the saying, “If you don’t like someone’s story, write your own.” When he eventually started on his first piece of fiction, it wasn’t with the goal of getting published; he just wanted to write, finding joy in the process. The publications came after the fact, including very recently an acclaimed short story in book form born of a stint at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
For others, it came with parenthood. In the quest for locally-relevant storybooks for her daughter, Nancy Sumari found herself writing her own. As many a parent knows, having children can motivate one to do things they had previously never considered. An avid reader while growing up in Tanzania, books were an integral part of Sumari’s life. After having her daughter Zuri, she was keen to have local folktales in print but wasn’t able to find them readily; Sumari tried various bookstores, but nothing spoke to what she was looking for. Then the thought occurred, “Why not put together a story?” She decided to speak to various women and compile their life stories as a window into the future—that’s how Nyota Yako came to be in 2013. (Fun fact: girls’ rights and education innovation rockstars Rebeca Gyumi and Faraja Nyalandu also spoke at the book launch!)
While Nhlema’s writing and nonprofit leader personas are separate, Manzi Norman’s work and upcoming books—yes, plural—are intertwined. The founder of Dream Village, he has two works in progress: one about the obstacles faced when starting an NGO in Africa and the other about the mental health challenges faced by such founders, both based on his own experiences and those of peers. “It is easy to get buried in work and not pay attention to your own life, while everyone is coming to you with their problems. Before you realize it, you’re breaking down and your relationships are also failing,” he explains. “I want the world and communities to understand that we are human, not invincible superheroes, and we don’t have answers to everything.” The other title will explore the unrealistic expectations big donors tend to have, and the struggles that local African organizations go through trying to meet them in the hopes of securing funding. In her work with Jenga Hub, Sumari becomes privy to issues of child protection from the program attendees. She realized that many kids do not know that there are laws meant to protect them, and many don’t comprehend that they have rights; this was the motivation behind Sumari’s second children’s book, Haki. The third sheds light on the life of the first female president in Tanzanian history; “It felt like a book-writing moment!” Sumari recalls. This one, simply titled Samia, shows children that the path to a meaningful career is not linear and may not look like straight As in school.
Similarly, We Have Something To Say: True Stories From Adolescent Girls Growing Up In The Slums Of Kampala was born of Monica Nyiraguhabwa’s desire to document the work of Girl Up Initiative through the experiences of the girls in its programs. The organization champions girls’ voices, and writing activities are included in the programming. With a bit of help from Megan Walrod, whom Nyiraguhabwa met serendipitously, they were able to compile the girls’ stories into a book. One of the hopes was for international readers to realize that certain social issues are, in fact, global and not just limited to Uganda. Nyiraguhabwa also uses LinkedIn as a platform, where she has grown a substantial following by sharing stories from a place of authenticity. She realized that she could promote Girl Up’s work through storytelling and has even secured potential partners as her posts catch the attention of funders. “I am not a writer but I have become one!” she laughs.
While we did not get a chance to speak with him, Dixon Chibanda of Friendship Bench too has a homonymously titled book freshly off the press. He joins the ranks of our grantee partners who also have their names on written works: William Kamkwamba of Moving Windmills, Innocent Magambi of There is Hope, and Twesigye Jackson Kaguri of Nyaka. Books and purveyors of the same can be an effective vehicle not just for entertainment or encouragement, but for localization too. They say you can’t be what you can’t see; the seeing isn’t always literal, it’s sometimes also the seeing of oneself in the written word. In this way, the authors among our grantee partners are continuing to have positive impacts on their communities and the globe at large.
