INDIGENOUS GULLAH FOLKLORE PRESERVED WITH NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK
DC author/illustrator duo uses Southern African-American folklore to encourage cultural literacy for kids
WASHINGTON — Two Washingtonians will introduce children and families to Gullah folklore and the African-Diaspora with the release of their third children’s book. In honor of Juneteenth — an annual U.S. celebration recognizing abolition of slavery in America — Callaloo Kids media brand (a product of Sepia Works, LLC) is releasing Callaloo: The Trickster and the Magic Quilt on June 19th.
Author, Marjuan Canady, and illustrator, Nabeeh Bilal attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a DC Public School/Arts Magnet and alma mater to many acclaimed entertainers from the region. For the last 5 years, the Callaloo children’s media brand has traveled the country sharing original stories and performances with young audiences about African-American and Caribbean folklore.
The book centers on Zoe and her friend Winston as they travel to the Lowcountry in Beaufort, South Carolina in hopes of recovering the missing patch to her grandma’s quilt. Families will learn traditional Gullah/Geechee language, about the significance of quilting in southern culture. There’s even reference to former Howard University Professor Lorenzo Dow Turner’s contribution to Gullah cultural studies.