A New View of Africa: Priscilla Semphere ’18 Launches Children's Book Series

Priscilla Takondwa Semphere ’18 is not afraid to think big.

Last year—her first at Smith—she signed up for the annual elevator pitch contest to test out an idea for a children’s book series aimed at changing the way young people think about Africa.

Semphere’s “Ekari” series follows the adventures of an 8-year-old girl as she travels around the continent. The series begins in Semphere’s native Malawi and extends to other countries, offering readers a glimpse of Africa’s diverse foods, music, languages and cultural practices.

The ultimate goal of the book project is to give African children a more positive view of themselves, Semphere told the contest judges, by “paying attention to what makes the continent a promising place.”

“We hope that for African children, it will promote dignity,” she wrote in her project brief, “and will allow young African readers to see, as the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie puts it, that they, too, can exist in literature.”

A panel from the first book in the “Ekari” series about a child’s travel through Africa by Priscilla Takondwa Semphere ’18.

Semphere’s idea wowed the judges at Smith, and she was selected to represent the college at a regional elevator pitch contest last spring.

Smith judge Susannah Howe—a senior lecturer in engineering who worked with Semphere on her presentation to the regional contest—said she was “struck by Priscilla’s ability to tell a compelling story about her business. She captured the audience from the beginning of her pitch.”

Howe said Semphere also made convincing arguments about how the book project can succeed, noting that “the ‘Ekari’ book series is simply a great idea with tremendous market potential and global appeal.”

Experts in the publishing world agree.

In May, Semphere’s project was chosen by OZY Media for one of 10 inaugural OZY Genius Awards for innovative projects by undergraduates.

The online magazine received hundreds of submissions from around the world for projects in the sciences and humanities. Winners were awarded up to $10,000 to pursue their projects and will participate in an OZY Films documentary chronicling their progress.

This summer, 750 copies of the first book in the “Ekari” series were readied for the printer and for marketing through PenAfrica, a nonprofit Semphere co-founded to celebrate and promote “African storytelling.”

Semphere—who plans to study English and economics at Smith—is already hard at work on the next book in the “Ekari” series. Here’s what else she had to say about her project.

Where did you get the idea for the “Ekari” series?

Semphere: “Before I came to Smith I attended the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, where I met mentors and my co-authors. That’s where the idea for a book series started. Storytelling is such a large part of African culture, and it’s a powerful tool. The African continent is incredibly diverse—Nigeria alone has over 250 languages. With that level of diversity, it’s hard to bind people together. But there are also so many similarities. In that way, the project is not just a book series. It has the potential to be so much more as a way of promoting African voices and telling our stories.”

What does the title refer to?

Semphere: “‘Ekari’ is the main character’s first name, and it means ‘good fortune’ in one of the languages of Malawi. The book offers a positive image that is very different from the hardship stories of African children we see in the media. That’s not to take away from the negative things many African children experience. But Ekari represents a hope for African children. We want these books to start new conversations for children.”

Why did you decide to make your heroine 8 years old?

Semphere: “That’s an age when kids ask a lot of questions, and their dialogue can more easily be captured in a story. It’s also an age that kids a bit younger—and a bit older—can relate to. The first book is based in Malawi and pulled from my own experiences. The cover picture is actually an illustration based on a photo of me. Malawi is nicknamed ‘the warm heart of Africa’ because we’re known as the friendliest country on the continent. Going forward, we will seek to have five contributors for each volume who will write about different parts of Africa. Our next book will be set in Egypt or Ethiopia. The first book is in English, but our hope is to have the series translated into more languages.”

What does it mean to have won the award from OZY Media?

Semphere: “It’s validation—validation that this project is needed and that this story can really play to a lot of people. The award allowed us to get more copies printed, to set up our website and also to find co-authors for the new books in the series. I think it’s significant that OZY is an American media company. I learned about winning the award in a Skype call with the founder. He called the OZY staff into the room to talk with me, and they were all really excited about the series. We hope through book sales that this project becomes sustainable.”

How has Smith helped you move your project forward?

Semphere: “Because of the space I’m given here, I feel like my mind has been opened to how much potential there is for this project to flourish. The elevator pitch contest was a big moment for me because of how much interest Professor Howe showed in the project. The African Student Association at Smith also supported me. And [Assistant Professor of History] Jeff Ahlman also urged me to make a presentation in his class. The responses showed me that so many people are enthusiastic about this idea. This coming semester, I’m going to be very deliberate about how the Smith community can help and be involved in the project.”