- Please introduce yourself so that the readers will get to know you better.
A1. I was born and raised in Tanzania, and I have paternal ancestry from India and Congo. In 1997, I migrated to Ireland for further studies. After completing my studies, I moved to Germany to obtain my master’s degree. I live in Germany and occasionally in Tanzania. I am a multipotentialite who is an author, poet, illustrator, philanthropist to potential and fellow writers, former United Nations staff, and former tourism and travel professional. I am still learning to discover more abilities in myself.
- What is the inspiration behind your book “Flowers, Plants and Fascinating Facts”?
A2. My book portfolio involves collaborations with children and adults. I feel more rewarded when unknown people with creative gifts work with me. My work is not famous either, so that is a fitting match because I consider myself not writing for a living but for servicing.
With that background, I have harboured a deep wish to illustrate a book myself. After our son was born, I sketched a lot using wax crayons. Occasionally, I shared some flower sketches on Instagram. A fellow writer and educator in Tanzania suggested writing a book using those sketches. Because I love botany, I tested the waters by publishing Alphabet of Flowers. The success of that book encouraged me to embark on a more significant project and the result was Flower, Plants and Fascinating Facts”.
- When did you realize you wanted to be an author?
A3. I don’t recall having a specific intent to be a writer. However, I loved to read a lot. At home, we did not own many books except those catering to my mother’s profession as a teacher in home economics. During the holidays away from boarding school, I enjoyed reading the same books we owned. My favourite was Safari za Gulliver, a Kiswahili translation of the classic Gulliver’s Travels. It awakened great curiosity about possible worlds in words.
My first writing was a school play in school from the English class. Years later, while living abroad in Germany, I sent a rant prose to an online magazine in Poland. In fact, I didn’t know it was a poem until it was picked as the Editor’s Choice of the week. From there on, I became courageous enough to learn and write poetry. Since then, I have written books in the genre of poetry, children’s fiction and education, and adult non-fiction pieces. Occasionally, I write opinion pieces for newspapers in my motherland Tanzania.
- Please tell us something about your book “Flowers, Plants and Fascinating Facts”?
A4. It is a comprehensive botanical book for children. The book invites children to explore nature and their surroundings with simple and colourful wax crayon drawings. This first reference book will awaken their sense of adventure and curiosity about different flowers and plants. They will also discover interesting facts such as colours, names, behaviours and their uses for humans.
- Which age group is your book “Flowers, Plants and Fascinating Facts” suitable?
A5. This educational book targets children from age four to adults. Since the book is not text-heavy, it is suitable for any child who can read a few pages at a time. The whole family will enjoy it too. One reviewer revealed that it can be made into a reading game with friends or family, making them guess which plant they’re describing.
- What is your favorite Quote?
A6. It varies according to my personal circumstances and what is going on globally. Sometimes, I also write quotes when taking a break from writing or experiencing a light bulb moment. As a poet, I have found many lines from poems that are wisdom nuggets. For example, the poem titled I, May I Rest in Peace by Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld (translated from the Hebrew by Yehuda Amichai). Many lines in that poem are relevant quotes for current times.
- What do you like the most about your country?
A7 For various reasons, I consider both Tanzania and Germany my homes. Ireland was once my home too. These countries have all gifted me with love, failures, understanding, caution, kindness, opportunities, biases, professionalism, and other precious life lessons. I treasure Tanzanian hospitality. My spirit is sated by the German tradition of forest walks. I have transcended to other realms with Irish music.
- What suggestion do you want to give to parents of little readers regarding a reading habit?
A8. Do not force children to read. You can gently coax them towards it by setting an example of reading. It surprises me when a parent expects a child to love reading while they don’t read themselves.
Allow children to pick what they want to read. Reading should be entertaining and enjoyable. As parents, we should be open-minded and allow children to read even what is not considered beneficial as long as it is appropriate for their age. We must strive to make reading and writing fun. Reading and writing shouldn’t be made as a punishment, especially in school. We should encourage and support reading and writing for pleasure.
- What does literary success look like to you?
A9. Numbers do not play a role in my writing. I create to service, not to prove that I am better based on my book sales and follower numbers or shares. Success is to have the courage and discipline to show up in writing because, besides myself, there is always one person out there who needs to read what I have penned. As a writer, I need my own writing. It is a medium for me to learn, teach and advocate. As I have intentionally opted out of public speaking, you can hear me speak through my writing.
- Lastly, who is your inspiration in life and why?
A10. I believe inspiration is found once an individual knows and accepts their life mission, i.e. why you are here and what you are supposed to fulfil. There was a time when I was on the bandwagon of wanting to be famous and celebrated like my favourite writers: Maya Angelou, Paulo Coelho or Beatrix Potter. It was bad for inspiration because you write to compare results with someone else’s. But now I know that my part is to add to the literary continuation, i.e. continuing, adding or inventing. While responding to this question, I searched online to find out how many writers there are worldwide. The numbers provided by different sources are millions. We cannot all fit into the same celebrity writer status. As a writer, I must focus on maintaining, passing, and adding to whatever genre I choose so it lives on. I see myself as one who aspires to inspire others without focusing on numbers. There are many readers, too, who have varied hunger for words. It is up to us writers to feed our chosen readers’ niche.
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