WoChiPoDa 2022 is coming to Tanzania with exciting news!!! The founder and the committee of coordinators for WoChiPoDa in Tanzania are inviting children aged 7 – 12 to a poetry contest. Poems must be in either English or Kiswahili language. An adult (parent, guardian, or teacher) should send one poem entry to wochipodacompetition@gmail.com The deadline…
I pray for a miracle,to keep his yellow sea,bearing waves of laughter,from the time of birthto these times of horror. Merciful skies, hear meand send the sun,in degrees of pride,with rays of courage,to the cities and suburbsof my son’s heart,even when it rains bombsin his yellow sea. Amen. * A very happy birthday to Carolyn…
Today’s prompt challenges to write a cento. This is a poem that is made up of lines taken from other poems. I wrote two poems imitating the style of the table of contents but the format is not to perfection due to time constraints. Also, the chosen format is not phone friendly, use a computer…
On Wednesday, 23 March 2022, Parenting Consultant and Educator Justine Kakoko represented children’s author Gloria D. Gonsalves at the handover ceremony of copies of the donated book Jai Albino Cow / Jai Ng’ombe Zeruzeru to the Tanzania Library Service Board (TLSB) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The event took place at the children’s department in…
An ekphrastic poem and an illustration prompted by a heart-shaped wall art with birds. The poem is about a heart witnessing the war from afar. My heart, I dare you to sing forgiveness again.The birds in your chambers no longer tweet.War is here and has your singing mornings stolen.All you have now are the invasive…
I want to re-introduce my book Swahili Folklore: A Compilation of Animal Facts, Folktales, Nursery Rhymes, and Songs. This book consists of nursery rhymes, songs, and 20 Kiswahili folk tales translated into English. The stories were written and submitted by school children from Manundu Primary School in my hometown of Korogwe. In Tanzania, oral lore…
As I am writing this, it is exactly ten days since the passing of the Tanzanian veteran journalist Gabriel Pereira Mgaya, known as Gabby Mgaya. I was recently in Tanzania, an exciting time, to see my family after two years. I would have called Mr. Mgaya (in Tanzania, we do not address our elders by…
By Corona Kimaro Cermak Jai the albino cow is a beautiful story. Why did you decide to write about albinism?The original idea, as is in my morgue file, was neither African nor about albinism. The idea to write about a cow protagonist came to me while on a nature holiday in Austria, after a calf…
The NYC Big Book Award recognized Jai the Albino Cow: Jai Ng’ombe Zeruzeru in the category of Multicultural Fiction as a distinguished favorite. Title: Jai the Albino Cow: Jai Ng’ombe ZeruzeruAuthor: Gloria D. GonsalvesIllustrator: Nikki Ng’ombeReading age: Baby – 12 yearsGrade level: Kindergarten – 6Language: bilingual (English and Kiswahili) Can an albino cow possess abilities…
For Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Grieving, they say, is the cousinof loneliness, bonded throughcloseness or distant blood.You left my body the same way.Slipped away silently, as far kinof my clan, and yet closer for Istill, feel the knives cutting throughthe womb where I had you alive. Our conversation was one-sided,but I knew you…