Expert profile
The owner and founder of Origins Publishers speaks about her passion for authentic, multilingual children’s literature, and how she had to create the products she craved.
WHO IS MOSA MKHIZE?
I am a 33-year-old public policy advisor, married to Mzwandile, with two children, Nizenande and Alakhe, who are four and two, respectively.
ORIGINS PUBLISHERS (ORIGINSPUBLISHERS.CO.ZA) IS THE COMPANY YOU FOUNDED TO SELL YOUR BILINGUAL BOOK SERIES, FARM ANIMALS. HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR BOOKS AND READING?
Yes, I grew up in a home that was filled with books. My parents would tell my two sisters, my brother and me, ”We brought you a surprise!“and it would be a book, not a toy or a sweet. My parents had a passion for reading and made a concerted effort to instil a love for reading and storytelling in us. Those books were often written in English. I would cop to that fact when they would read me a story, translating it as they went, and I’d think: ”That’s not the same story as the book told yesterday!“My parents would use the beautiful illustrations as a guide and make up tales to match the pictures.
YOUR BOOK FARM ANIMALS IS BILINGUAL AND AVAILABLE IN 10 DIFFERENT LANGUAGE PAIRS, ENGLISH AND EACH OFFICIAL SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE, AS WELL AS SWAHILI AND FRENCH. WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT MULTILINGUALISM?
I grew up in a multicultural and multilingual home. My mom is Xhosa, my dad Sotho and my gran Zulu.
I know it is important for many South African families to expose their children to a variety of languages. My parents’ generation tended to value English as the language of commerce and access to educational and career opportunities. But there has been a renewed sense of the value of home languages in our current generation. Mzwandile is Zulu, and we always knew we wanted to raise our children to be exposed to multiple languages. There is loads of research that shows how good multilingualism is for development.
ENGLISH IS EVERYWHERE…
Yes, and many families and children are often not quite as fluent in their home language as they might like. I can speak six languages. My friends started approaching me when they started having children and were looking for books such as those that I wanted for my children: ”Can’t you just do something about it, Mosa?“I heard this from some of my white friends who had grown up speaking an African language (or two), and wanted the same for their children, as well as some of my black friends who were looking for tools and materials to equip them in bringing up multilingual children. The reality is that it’s a struggle to teach home languages as well as English, particularly for black families whose children are mostly exposed to English at schools.
I remember as a child, every Sunday after church we would go to my paternal grandmother. My father would remind us: “Bana baka [my children], remember, no English at Ngono’s house.“The reason for this was that my grandmother’s association with English was as the language of the oppressor.
Our generation is in many ways on a journey of reclaiming our identity and heritage, of which language is an important part. I thought – let me publish bilingual books!
IS HAVING CHILDREN OF YOUR OWN WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE?
Absolutely! The publishing industry found me. I was pregnant with our first child in 2015 and thinking about the kinds of books I would like to read to her. I couldn’t find the content I was looking for. The story books I read told of one story – of Bongani finding firewood at Gogo’s house or Thandi making tea at Gogo’s house. I thought, ”These children are forever stuck at Gogo’s house.“While there is space for stories about kids visiting Gogo, I also wanted other stories: stories that looked to the future, stories that spoke to a life and opportunities
I am working hard to create for my children, stories that would inspire my children to be active participants of a global world in whatever way they wished, to unlock their imagination, and for them to see themselves in stories that depict them in a positive manner and affirm them as black children. So, during my maternity leave, I started writing those stories.
IT WAS A LONG ROAD TO GETTING PUBLISHED.
Yes. I wrote the books, then I found a great illustrator, then it was time for printing. I was determined to develop a product that was well considered in design, content and aesthetic appeal, as well as durable. The pricing for such a product was exorbitant. I reached out to traditional publishers who were at first reluctant to give me the time of day. When they finally saw the book series, they were immediately interested but offered me only a small percentage of royalties. I thought, “I’ll do it myself,“and I spent the next four years saving up to publish my first book series. I continue to be blown away by the support that we have had – we’ve sold hundreds of copies in less than a year!
ON TOP OF ALL THIS, YOU STILL HAVE A DAY JOB. WHAT DOES A PUBLIC POLICY ADVISOR DO?
I work for an international law firm. I give policy and regulatory advice to clients doing business across Africa.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR ORIGINS?
I am excited for us to launch our first educational product. It’s a series of puzzles with a career theme, depicting children of different races in aspirational careers, such as astronauts, ballerinas, software developers and more.
HAS COVID AFFECTED YOUR BUSINESS?
Of course! I needed to add a revenue stream during lockdown, so I added more titles to my website (you can order online, and we deliver nationally).
I became, in essence, a curator, a niche bookshop of the kinds of titles I buy for the Mkhiz-lings, the nickname I have for my children.
WHAT KINDS OF BOOKS ARE THOSE? CAN YOU GIVE US EXAMPLES?
Wanda by Sihle Nontshokweni and Mathabo Tlali is a beautiful story about hair that Nizenande and I are reading. Hair is such an important topic. Sihle and Mathabo have created such a wonderful story that invites children to accept their most authentic selves, and encourages them to choose how they wear their hair, in a world where black hair is ridiculed and mocked.
Alakhe is enjoying Yes Yanga! ,asports star story by one of my favourite authors, Refiloe Moahloli, which depicts a young black boy as a winner and achiever – something that black boys need to see more of.
As for me, I am rereading Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions for the third time. The main character goes against the grain of what her society and family expect of her. I love her journey and conversations with herself. The whole world is against her – but she knows her purpose is greater. ●