The dolls that root for Africa

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LEARNING: Rooti Dolls aim to inspire pride in African culture

LONDON-BASED entrepreneur Chris Ngoforo had always felt it was important to pass on his Nigerian heritage and culture to his three daughters.

However, he became concerned when he realised that none of them, like many Western-raised children of African parents, could speak Igbo, the language of people from the part of Nigeria from which he hails.

So he set out to do something about it and in the process, he pounced upon a winning business. Knowing that his daughters loved dolls, Ngoforo created the Rooti Dolls, a new range of fashion dolls for children, which are also the first to teach children words and phrases in different native languages such as Twi and Ga from Ghana and Zulu from South Africa.

Ngoforo says he wanted the dolls to encourage children, and young girls especially, to appreciate the beauty of African identity, culture and heritage from an early age and counteract many of the negative images that the media often portrays of the continent.

?As children play they are silently building the concepts that will guide them throughout life? he says. ?That's why it is so important that black children have toys that inspire pride in their heritage and uniqueness. Our dolls are created as a real image and identity of us as black people ? African, African-Caribbean and African-American. They have wider noses, fuller lips, long curly hair and they come in various shades of black. Each of our beautifully crafted dolls speaks four different languages.

?For instance, Ama speaks Twi, Ga, Ewe and Krobo while Nubya speaks Zulu, Thoxa, Sesotho and Afrikaans. Our dolls offer a positive role model for children to aspire to. They are created reflecting a real image and the true identity of us as black people- African, African Caribbean and African American. They also come dressed in a mix of elegant African fabrics and western fashion styles." Commercially produced black dolls began to appear in Europe and America in the 19th century. However, they often portrayed black people in subservient roles and exaggerated physical features in a way that reinforced racial stereotypes. By the 1960s and '70s, toy manufacturers responded to a growing sense of black pride following the Civil Rights movement and produced dolls with more realistic African features.

MISSION: Chris Ngoforo

Campaigners have long argued that dolls, toys and other forms of popular culture meant to depict black people are more than just play items. A recent study carried out by researchers at Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago and Walden University showed that ethnic pride helps boost the mental health of black children.

PRIDE

Ronda Racha Penrice, author of African American History For Dummies argues that "parents, schools, and therapists should expose young people to material and environments that help foster a sense of ethnic pride. If a child never sees his or her culture positively reflected in the overall society, then how can he or she envision a positive role within that society?"

However, Ngoforo says that from his own experience, convincing toy manufactures to take this message on board is an uphill struggle.

When he first had the idea for Rooti Dolls, he tried to convince traditional toy manufacturers of the need for specific dolls that inspire children of African heritage. However, once he realized that they really weren't interested in fulfilling this need, he decided to start a new company and distribute the dolls via his company?s website.

Negotiations are now underway for a distribution deal with a major toy retailer. Ngoforo and his team are also working with NGOs, government agencies in Africa and African embassies to help distribute the doll throughout the continent.

CONNECTION

?Until now, the industry has largely ignored our kids or offered white dolls with dark skin? he argues. ?At last black children can play with dolls that reflect our marvellous uniqueness and so Rooti Dolls are much more than beautiful toys. Being able to understand and speak their mother tongues not only gives children a deeper and more meaningful connection to their roots, but it also gives them a healthy sense of identity and belonging, which in turn improves their self-esteem and confidence.?

He added: ?Ultimately, nothing gives your child a more healthy sense of identity and security than being able to look in the mirror and like what he or she finds there. Rooti Dolls not only help children learn a new African language, they also help them escape the cycle of low self-esteem that traps so many black children at the bottom of the pile in the western world in particular."

Source: http://voice-online.co.uk/article/dolls-root-africa

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