Come and Partner with Me: Let’s Make Change through the Written Word!

Who am I?

Hello, I am Oma Eguara, a London, UK-based primary school teacher who is passionate about empowerment through education. I am a teacher of African descent. I have studied and taught in both the UK and Nigeria, with teaching qualifications from both countries.

What is this project about?

I have set up this campaign to raise funds for the independent publishing of my African history children’s book. The working title is 50 Great African Women. I decided to write this book when I realised that many children and adults can name at least 5 Black men who have achieved something notable. And they could probably do the same with 5 Black women. In both categories, people more often than not list African American men and women, with perhaps a few men from continental Africa, such as Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah. However, very few, if any, name women from the continent of Africa who have achieved notable things. I asked on social media and got the same results. Even a Google search for African women in any field yields mostly African American women. Apart from a few ancient African queens, no one named a female African scientist, environmentalist, poet, mathematician, engineer, head of state … it was as if the women of Africa had achieved none of these things.

I began to think about the impact this gap in knowledge must be having on children of African descent and others. I know that in UK primary schools, even the teachers appear not to know any better. Many schools recycle the same few African American activists and entertainers every Black History Month. And as a result, children of all ethnicities do not get to see Africans as inventors, scientists, creatives and world changers but as fighters, entertainers and descendants of slaves, an injuriously false view that fuels prejudice. I did a quick search and discovered sixteen female African heads of state. How come no one seemed to know about them? I asked my social network about African women scientists and received no response. It appeared that the image of African women on charity posters was more prominent. The final straw was when my niece had to guess the identity of a creator and she guessed that it must be a Caucasian person, “because Black people don’t invent things.” As a teacher, I could see how school systems inadvertently promote such beliefs. African achievement and contribution are historically underrepresented in school curricula. I knew then that I had to do something.

I thought at first that I would make a list of 31 notable African women and create an inspirational resource with one feature a day, for a month. However, soon with 200 women and counting, I reluctantly had to stop. I then decided to write this book of 50 women, together with educational resources for use in the home and in educational and community settings. And the rest of the women would go on an honours roll so that readers could keep on exploring. I got started, investing over a thousand pounds of my own money in illustrations. We are now halfway through the 50 featured women. And my small social media following is asking for a book of 50 men, for boys! While this response is encouraging, publishing a book goes beyond writing and illustration. I began to see that there are more costs than I had initially planned for. I will need the services of an editor, a book designer and a graphic designer at the very least. Having got this far, and with the evidence from research on the benefits of representation for children of African descent, I cannot stop now. Not only will African-descended children benefit from learning about the achievements of people like themselves, other children will gain an immersion into diversity, and hopefully, stereotypes will be broken. This is how we begin to disrupt prejudice and racism, one reader at a time. For this reason, I am calling on you to support Book One of the Awesome Africa Series, 50 Great African Women. Let’s help heal the world through history.

More than a book:

By now, I hope you can see that this is more than a book. It is a movement of restoration. It starts with 50 Great African Women, Book One in the Awesome Africa Series. Then, 50 Great African Men, Book Two, will follow. Social media response has been encouraging, with comments such as:

“This is much needed;”

“You are leaving a legacy;”

“This is a game changer;”

“Great idea worth doing;”

“Can’t wait” and

“Is there a link for us to pre-book and pay while we wait?”

There has also been interest from teachers and parents of non-Black ethnicities

who desire such resources for multicultural education. With these books in

children’s hands, I plan to make author visits to schools, libraries, community

events and centres to open further to the world the window on Africa and African contribution. By supporting this work you will be helping to fill a gap in

educational provision, supporting community cohesion and helping to unseat

racial prejudice through information and representation.

Specifications:

Size: 7.5 x 9.25 in (19.05 x 23.5 cm)

Format: Paper back & Hardback, colour illustrated

Pages: 215

RRP: Paperback, £16.99; Hardback, to be confirmed

Distribution:

Available to purchase on Amazon and via Expanded Distribution to bookshops,

libraries, online retailers and educational institutions.

Target: £7,000

Illustrations: £1,500

Graphic design: £500

Book design: £500

Editing (line & structural): £1,000

Website to deliver follow-on educational resources: £1,000

Author visits, promotional campaigns & miscellaneous expenses: £2,500

If any funds are left over from Book One, they will be rolled over to Book Two.

Sponsorship:

Are you or your organisation passionate about equity and diversity; community

cohesion; girl empowerment; Black representation or Black lives? Do you see the connection between these themes and this project? Your donations will be

greatly appreciated to further this cause. The paperback copy of this book will

retail for £16.99. Sponsorships above £30 (from the UK), will receive a signed copy of the book from the author.

Author Bio:

Oma Eguara holds a B. Ed (Science/Biology); MA, Special & Additional Learning Needs and a PhD in E-Research and Technology-Enhanced Learning. She has been a teacher since 1986, and has taught every stage from Early Years to Higher Education. Oma's teaching career spans the UK and Nigeria, where she was awarded Most Outstanding Teacher in 2001 for her contributions to the school where she worked. As Head of Department for Maths and Science, Oma's leadership led to school-wide changes resulting in improvements in Mathematics outcomes. Oma is the founder and educational consultant at Cowrie Education; a published writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and academic works; a former magazine columnist for New African Woman and Acumen Magazines and a conference speaker on entrepreneurship and education, on national and international stages. Oma currently works as a primary school teacher in East London, UK and spends the rest of her time researching, writing, consulting, creating and enjoying life with her extended multicultural family. More about Oma here: CV