Rooti Dolls has introduced a range of talking dolls aimed at helping African children stay in touch with their heritage. Pictured is Ama -- a "bubbling dynamic girl" whose "dream is to be a doctor someday," says the company's website. Ama speaks the Ghanaian languages of Twi, Ga, Ewe and Krobo.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A new range of dolls has has been created to help African children connect with their roots
- Rooti Dolls are programmed to speak several African languages
- "Queens of Africa" project produces comics and books to help African children appreciate their culture
London - Raising their family in London, Nigerians Chris and Ada Ngoforo were keen for their children to stay in touch with their West African heritage. But the couple became concerned that their three young daughters didn't speak any Igbo, one of Nigeria's ethnic languages.
"We thought amongst ourselves what we can do to actually help them to learn Igbo more," says Chris Ngoforo.
This desire to encourage their children to connect with their roots, coupled with an increasing frustration with the difficulty in finding black dolls that resonated with their daughters, led the entrepreneurial couple to take matters into their hands.
What started as a way of helping their daughters engage with their heritage quickly became a business opportunity. Soon after, the couple launched their own range of toys, called Rooti Dolls,
No comments:
Post a Comment