The SDG Book Club Interview Series explores the inner worlds of the authors behind the exclusive SDG Book Club: African Chapter Reading List book picks.
Scroll down to learn more about the authors who craft brilliant stories that help teach African children across the continent more about the Sustainable Development Goals in creative and relatable ways.
SDG Book Club Interview Series: Q&A with author Christopher Okemwa
Christopher Okemwa is an author and editor of several literary works in Africa and beyond. He self-published his first book in 2004 and in 2015, his novella, Sabina and the Mystery of the Ogre, won the Canadian Burt Award for African Literature. Its sequel, Sabina the Rain Girl, was selected for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Zero Hunger reading list, is fast becoming a popular novella among young people in Africa...Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series: How to Transform Words into Illustrations
The graphic artist Harrington Kanyanta reveals his inspirations for illustrating 'Koko Grows Food' a book selected for the UN SDG 2 Zero Hunger reading list. Born in Zambia, Kanyanta is a graphic artist, ilustrator and ardent advocate of interpersonal skills art. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series talks with Hamisi Babusa, author of 'Kijiji cha Ukame'
Originally from Kenya, Dr. Hamisi Babusa, Kenyatta university administrator and lecturer in Kiswahili and Language Education, is also founder of Babusa TV, an online Kiswahili channel which testifies to his passion for developing content for children. Hamisi Babusa is also a creative writer and an academic writer, with several books to his name. With more than twenty years of writing experience, Babusa's book 'Kijiji cha Ukame' was selected for the UN SDG Kiswahili Inaugural Reading List...Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series meets with Chukwuemeka Iroegbu Chukwudi
Born in Lagos (Nigeria) the author of 'Monkey Business', Chukwuemeka Iroegbu Chukwudi, has been a writer for nearly thirty years. He has written articles, news reports/features, short stories and poems for publications and competitions. Indeed, some of his poems have succesfully won awards. His first book, 'Monkey Business' was selected for the SDG 1: No Poverty inaugural reading list. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Africa Interview Series with Ama Worla (Ewurama Bennin), Author of 'Kayim’s Quest for Good Fortune
Ama Worla is an educational administrator, author and a trainer who brings color to the learning process through stories, dialogue, and games. Motivated by her children’s love for her storytelling, Ama was inspired to help children learn important lessons about life by reading about capabilities of people just like them. Ama Worla's book 'Kayim's Quest for Good Fortune' is included in the Inaugural English Reading List: SDG 1 No Poverty. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series: Lorato Trok
In the latest entry of this series, we speak to Trok whose book Rosina Sedibane Modiba: A Dream Denied is on the English SDG 5: Gender Equality Reading List
Lorato Trok is an early literacy consultant and expert in developing reading for pleasure books for young children, especially in African languages. She has 20 years’ experience in publishing, writing, translation, editing and story development in children’s literature. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series: Godfred Edusei Derkyi
“Adventures of Hurricane & Tornado - Episode 1" is dedicated to the realization of the SDGs and recently made our SDG 4 Quality Education Reading List. The book's author, prolific writer Edusei Derkyi is the author of several books including "Aboakyer - The Hunt of the Efutu People", "Ramblings of My Mind - an Anthology of 45 Life Poems" and "Yaaba - A day in the Life of an African Child".
Derkyi's love for music has led to him incorporating songs into his works - a reflection of the pivotal role music plays in the everyday life of the African. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series: Yemisi Egunjobi
In the latest entry of this series, we speak to Yemisi, whose book "Village Girl in Town" is on the English Reading List for SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
Yemisi Egunjobi, writing under the pen name DE GOMEG is a Nigerian, a writer, editor and publisher. She is the author of Village Girl in Town, a book pick for SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. She is a Fulbright Fellow who studied ‘Writing and Publishing Children’s books’ at the University of Washington, USA. She has her name on at least 70 published books in English, Yoruba and French. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series: Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha
We recently spoke to Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha whose book Rude Awakening is on the English SDG 5: Gender Equality Reading List. Mbadugha is a multiple award-winning author with a natural flair for the arts. She wrote her first unpublished novel at the age of six and has been writing poems, scripts, short stories, and songs since then, which were mainly for leisure.
Her novella Rude Awakening is one of the three novellas in her series Beyond the Trial, where all three novellas are published as stand-alone books. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Africa Interview Series: Mwanawetu Mmuni
Mwanawetu Mmuni is a Tanzanian author. Her books include Usimwacheatoke, Nifikirie, Nadhariayamaishayamtinamtu, and others. Kilimochetu, Kiburichaponzakichwa, Ukutiukuti, Safari yaMikumi, Hadithizakarneya 21, Ken naKandi, Jifikirie, Jumannekatikamsituwamaajabu, Unamjuahuyu? Come with me, Umebadilika.
She writes in various genres including adventure, historical books, romances, African culture, children's literature, bio-books, biography and economics, philosophical magazines in Kiswahili. Mwanawetu's book 'Ken Na Kandi' is included in the Kiswahili Reading List for SDG 4: Quality Education. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series meets with Wale Okediran
The Esteemed Okediran has published till date, fourteen novels, many of which are on the reading lists of a number of Nigerian universities. His highly acclaimed novel, Tenants of the House, which is a fictional account of his years in the House of Representatives was the 2011 Co-Winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature.
In an interview with the SDG Book Club African Chapter, Dr. Okediran spoke on his extensive experience in the literature world and his book "Corona Tales" which was selected for the SDG 3: English Reading List. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club African Chapter Interview Series: Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi
Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi is the founder of publishing house Clever Clogs Books and convener of the Akada Children's Book Festival. She is also Chairperson of the Association of Children’s Authors & Illustrators of Nigeria. Passionate about creating visually-engaging, culturally-relevant content for children, she has a desire to see steadily increasing literacy rates within her community.
'Why Do You Wash Your Hands?" is included in the reading list for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) as an Honorary Indigenous African Language book. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview Series converses with Dominic Maina Oigo
Dominic Maina Oigo is an author, editor, translator, and a final year student at Kenyatta University, Kenya. He is also the current Secretary-General to the University Organization for Kiswahili Students in East Africa, Kenya Chapter, and an active member of the International Human Rights Art Festival African Chapter. His book, 'Hatima Ya Musa' has been selected for the inaugural Kiswahili reading list addressing the theme: No Poverty - SDG 1. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview with Naomi Adjei
Adjei authored "Nii Noi, the Sanitation Officer", which was selected for the SDG 6: Clean water and Sanitation English Reading list.
As part of our ongoing interview series, the SDG Book Club African Chapter caught up with Adjei to discuss her love of writing children's books, the SDGs and the current state of literature in a technology-centred world. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview with Adriaan Bijloo
Bijloo illustrated the SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy Reading List book pick, "An African Legend".
In 2021, he received the “Vlag en Wimpel” award for the illustrations he created for the book “Hoe alles begon” (How Everything Started). The “Vlag en Wimpel” is an award for the best illustrations created by an illustrator in that year. Right now, Bijloo is working on a graphic novel about life on other planets which will be released in 2023. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview with Maya Fowler
Maya Fowler is a South African novelist, editor and translator, currently living in British Columbia, Canada. Though she speaks several languages, she works in English and Afrikaans, a South African language that developed out of Dutch in southern Africa.
Fowler, author of "An African Legend", spoke to the SDG Book Club African Chapter about her SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy Reading List book pick among other subjects. Read More HERE
SDG Book Club Interview with Nelia Landman
Nelia Landman studied publishing at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She has worked at both academic and educational publishers, and joined Oxford University Press, Southern Africa, in 2012.
Landman talks to us about how Oxford University Press brought to life, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!", a book that speaks to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. Read More HERE
Download the complete English reading list HERE 
Download the complete English reading list HERE
Download the complete English reading list HERE
Download the complete Arabic Reading List 
Download the complete Arabic Reading List 
Download the complete Kiswahili Reading List 
Author of SDG Reading List Book Pick, "Garbage School" Abdullahi Ismaila delivered a paper in response to the panel topic, "How Can Literary Artists and Other Creatives Contribute to Sustainable Development and to the Sustainable Growth of the Book Sector?". Read More HERE
