KABILIANA- Would have Amadi been written if you didn't have the chance to live in Nigeria?
KATIA - Absolutely not. The story was born within a certain context, and even though Amadi's experience has a universal feeling to it, and children all over the world can relate to it, it could only have been born in Igbo Land.
KABILIANA - What is your relationship and feeling with the African Continent?
KATIA - This is a difficult question. I strongly resist discussing the continent as a whole. First, I don't know that many countries in Africa. I have lived in Nigeria, and I have visited Benin and The Ivory Coast, and that's it. I'm familiar with several cultures of West Africa, because I have friends who are from Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, etc. I also did a lot of Senegalese dancing when I lived in New York. It's called Sabar, and I used to take 4 to 5 classes a week. That's how much I loved it. But I don't know East Africa, nor the south of the continent. People who know Africa quite well always say that they're very different.
KABILIANA - In which way literacy can help economically disadvantaged population to change their life/future?
KATIA - Education is key. It's not only a matter of knowing more, it's also that an educated people can better defend themselves, against abuse, ignorance, superstition, and so much more.
Amadi has also a multicultural view as it introduces to Nigeria and a small village's life.
KABILIANA - How /When does diversity becomes a value when different people confront each other?
KATIA - Exposure to diversity opens up the world and the mind. If you experience others' ways of living, whether directly or through books, it becomes easier to realize that there is not one way of doing things, but millions of them, and your horizons broaden. My children have lived in Nigeria and India, they know life in France, the US, Spain and Haiti, and they take it all in stride. In India, people eat with their right hand, sitting on the floor. Fine. In France, or I should say the western world, we eat with a fork and a knife. That's not halfway as much fun as eating with one hand, but Oh well, if that's the way it's done. They understand that languages change from one place to another. They also understand that customs change from one place to the other. In India, Ganesh, Durga, Diwali, etc, are celebrated. In France, they'll go to the baptism of a cousin. They have been in churches, temples, mosques, and they understand that people worship in diverse ways, and none is better than the other. The risk that these children grow up to be narrow-minded and convinced that there is only one way to speak, eat, dress, act, worship, and/or think, is really quite unlikely. Tolerance is a component of their psyche. And the world certainly needs more tolerance.
KABILIANA - You have started presenting the book in Indian Schools, what was your first impression meeting directly the students? What do they like most reading and what do they ask you when you share Amadi's message with them?
KATIA - Children love Amadi because he's so real. He's nto perfect, but he's smart, and he grows throughout the story, and the ending is satisfying. A lot of them, here, also seem to relate to the fact that he has never seen snow.
KABILIANA - As a mother and a writer how would you propose a book to somebody who is not interested in reading? What will you suggest him/her or which kind of approach will you think to stimulate him/her?
KATIA -I find it very hard to believe that a child would be totally opposed and allergic to books. So, it's really a matter of offering the kind of material that will stimulate them, and catch their attention, exactly like Amadi in the story. He won't hear about learning how to read, but as soon as his curiosity is peeked, that's it, he's caught.
KABILIANA- We writers all know that without reading we would never be able to write… how much do you read children's literature and how do you choose what to read in this field?
KATIA -I read constantly. And my tastes and interests influence what I choose to read, of course. Anything multicultural is likely to interest me. I also keep informed, see what comes out, what my friends read and recommend, etc, etc.
KABILIANA - Can you give us three titles of the three children's books you ever loved in the last year?
KATIA - "Henry's Freedom Box," by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. It's the story of Henry "Box" Brown, a slave who mailed himself to freedom. It's a story of amazing bravery, and Kadir Nelson's illustrations are absolutely stunning.
"Burn My Heart" by Beverly Naidoo, about the uneasy friendship of two boys, one white, one black, in colonial Kenya. It's about hard choices and children being caught in political turmoil and the kind of frightening mess that adults are so good at creating.
"Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch. I only discovered this book, and others in the series, recently. They are wonderful. Grace is an energetic, confident, imaginative child, and a perfect role model for any girl.
KABILIANA - Officialy from today Amadi is on a World Virtual Tour. Would you like to explain how does it work and who will involve?
KATIA - The idea is to engage children from several countries around the world in a conversation about reading, books, and each other. As I've mentioned before, kids are not encumbered by the many prejudices that adults carry around - unless they've already been influenced by those adults, of course. They are naturally interested and curious about other children. Having lived in many places, and having also contacts in quite a few, I thought it would be fun to virtually visit schools, libraries, etc. We'll see children in Nigeria, in the US, in India, in Italy (thanks to you), and maybe in Ethiopia and in Haiti (we're still working out the logistics, but it's looking good.) There will be interviews, conversations about the process of writing, and reviews on blogs dedicated to children's literature. We'll have some video clips, quizzes and trivia, and a photo challenge, and there will be prizes at the end. I didn't realize, as I embarked on this adventure, that it would entail so much work, but it's been great fun, and I made some wonderful contacts all over the world. What I want, aside from trying to get the book out there as much as possible, is for children to have fun, to learn about each other, and to acquire or renew their conviction that reading is THE thing to do.
