Last Friday afternoon, on the second day of Dhaka Lit Fest, the Cosmic Tent stage witnessed the joy of several children who sat there listening to Muthoni Garland’s stories about Africa, her homeland.
During her very first session at DLF, Muthoni pushed aside the chair after placing her belongings on it, emptying the stage for herself. Her motivation behind clearing up the stage became clear when Muthoni began performing each of the words she spelled.
Initially, the kids were a bit shy and awkward when asked to go on stage. However, within a few minutes they followed Muthoni's direction and emulated each of her moves - walking like lizards at one moment, or shouting like a lady in another second. Regardless of age, everyone present at her session enjoyed the stories.
During every session, each of her lines became a visual representation for the audience. This profound lady had something special in her delivery, taking the audience to all the places she referred to in her stories. Her storytelling style was inspired by her grandmother.
One of Muthoni's main concerns is the declining reading culture in Kenya. With 95% of the reading attributed to only educational books, she decided to advocate reading for pleasure. During her session, several times she mentioned how Kenyans no longer tell the stories they used to before. As she noticed, Africa’s stories had an audience but access and distribution of these stories were very poor.
As a result, Muthoni Garland organises the annual Storymoja, a writer’s collective based in Nairobi, Kenya. Storymoja runs several projects to promote reading among children including National Read Aloud and also works for the Start a Library initiative since its inception in 2012.
Two of her published novellas by Storymoja include Halfway Between Nairobi and Dundori and Tracking the Scent of My Mother. Besides writing for children Muthoni also writes for young adults.
One thing you still have from your childhood?
I would say curiosity. Wondering what people are thinking, what they are doing, what’s going on around a corner. So I always curious. I would say that’s the thing I still have with me.
If you are asked to describe childhood by a colour, what colour would it be?
To some extent it will be a light colour. It might be yellow but it must be a bright colour.
I think that in terms of children who are so young, there are so many things they need to write in their lives. Their lives canvases can take any shape and colour. For me, childhood is about many possibilities.
After your DLF session with Bangladeshi children, what is your observation about them?
Well, I was thrilled to see how willing the children are to come on stage and participate. You should never take that for granted.
During my session in different countries, I’ve noticed children from other countries are quite scared to participate but that wasn't the case here.
Similarly, I found it quite interesting to see so many adults as part of the audience. Clearly there is a concern or a need in society to see how important it is to create stories for children.
When I looked into the audience eyes, they were really engaged in the story. They didn't seem or say that these stories are only for children. It is also relevant to their lives, to real lives. I really found pleasure in that fact alone.
At your session, you asked children if they wanted to hear a story about animals or humans. They chose animals. What kind of stories do Kenyan children prefer?
Animal stories tend to be less threatening. Animal stories are more universal, people can understand the characters in certain ways. Also I think that’s easier to perform cross culturally.
I think it differs so much in Kenya. What I found is the more up-market the school, the more they prefer horror stories featuring human characters, even more in boys' schools.
The stories you’ve shared through the session have a lot of symbolic meaning. Like adults, do children understand those meanings?
What I found is that people get from stories what they are ready to get. You can just tell the story in your way and a reader will take from these what they want to take.
However, people tend to underestimate what children understand because children are not able to, perhaps, articulate their concerns or what they understand. That doesn’t mean they don’t understand. Often children understand things but aren't able to repeat or articulate their understanding. Sometimes, when talking to children, I'd find myself surprised to see the extent to which some children understood the stories.
In Kenya it's common practice to ask kids what they learnt from the stories but this is something I discourage. It feels like an exam when you do that.
What social trend you hope doesn’t exist in the next few years?
The whole stereotype around colour and race is something I wish that changes. The assumptions we make about people based on either their colour or some other cosmetic irrelevance- this is something I hope will disappear.
What kind of social classes do most of your readers come from?
I work for a publishing house and we try our best hard is to make sure that the books available. In fact I dare to say that in Kenya what happens is, if you are in upper middle class or above, you tend to read international and not tend to read Kenyans’ often. It perceived to be middle, lower middle class to read Kenyan.
However that is changing- thank God! But not as fast I would like to see it. Also, what happens is because its market is an educational one, if you don’t get your book approved by Kenyan curriculum development; it’s very hard to sell. Books tend to board through school curriculum systems to go to book stores. Because there is so empty. It’s a challenge and we are trying to change it.
In terms of writers, there are many, because Kenya is young, the population is like a Christmas tree. There are a lot of children writers. However, it tend to be write for the school curriculum only to survive.
Why did you start writing for children?
When my children were growing up, they loved stories. I was busy working as a market researcher for the corporate sector. My children would refuse to go to bed unless I had told them a story.
So I made up stories, a lot of them. Some of those stories I heard while growing up. Others were inspired by existing stories that I'd adapt with a local touch. So instead of Charlie in the chocolate factory, I'd take Charlie to the national park. I made up these stories night after night, and now I often regret not having recording them.
Many years later, when I started to write, I began with stories for adults. My son kept asking me, “why don't you write some of the stories you used to tell us?” Of course I don't remember all of them, but when I thought if I could make them up then, why couldn't I do the same now?
Also I triggered by stories I loved, written in Kenya, and wanted to share them.
While telling the stories you’re kind of performing them, thus enhanced these sort of drama in your writing what you add as your signature style?
I prefer to tell the story first before start writing it. actually when its inside my brain. To understand are getting it or enjoying it. Or are they feel challenged. So its aid me to get an essence of how far you get it or not to take it.
The story I’ve told here, I haven’t published yet finished writing. I’m up ahead for telling the stories for several time. I find it helpful about how to tell the stories
Her message for the children
Read… read a lot of stories… reading build imagination. It’s so cool.
Her favorite work among own creation
Kamau's Finish, it about a school race. Because I was so disappointed to my father as he wanted me to be a runner.
Because of that I always felt a great affection for this book. My father was greatly amused by hearing about the book. since my father is a human with great sense of humor and after hear it he said to me 'see, I inspire you to write.'
