The Okra Thief - Ein Kinderbuch für Tingel

Maryam and Adnan are shocked: there is an “Okra Thief” in Tingel! Brave and adventurous, the 11 year old twins start looking for the villain to save the harvest of their village …

“The Okra Thief” is a book about the adventures of the twins Maryam and Adnan from Tingel, Chad. But it is more than a mere beautiful children’s book. It is the manifestation of an exchange of creativity and joy, between children in Germany and children in Chad. It is a book made by kids for kids. The book is a result of workshops in Bayreuth, Germany, with children of all ages who imagined stories together, formed clay animals to give their ideas shape, drew and invented stories to share with the children of the primary school in Tingel, which has recently been opened by help of takatuf e.V.
The Bayreuth based non-profit organisation takatuf e.V., which in Chadian Arabic means “we walk shoulder by shoulder”, was founded by Ibrahim Mahamat zene, himself from Chad. takatuf enables intercultural exchange, and promotes educational and infrastructural projects in Chad. The school founded in Tingel in 2019 is the first and only one in the entire region. It is located 300 kilometers from the capital N'djamena. As a publicly accessible school, it offers a place where children of all ages can learn how to read and write. Languages of instruction are Arabic and French. The school’s facilities are very basic, there is neither a library nor are there any books available apart from copied educational materials.
This is a beginning. But we all know how fun reading great stories is; and how much kids love to delve into pictures and words. And we are convinced that the access to literature and everything that sparks the imagination is a basic human right. Therefore, the kids in Tingel should have their own fun book, which speaks to their surroundings.
The best partner for this adventure in sharing creativity is iwalewabooks, a publishing house for art and discourse, located in Johannesburg in South Africa and Bayreuth in Germany. Iwalewabooks publishes works that stimulate discussion, pay homage to unique artistic positions, and inspire the imagination.
On the basis of the stories, Ibrahim Mahamat zene and Anne Kohl of takatuf, Katharina Fink and Nadine Siegert of iwalewabooks, and Chad’s first female cartoonist, caricaturist and graphic artist Salma Khalil Alio , are currently creating the children's book “The Okra Thief” which will be produced in Arabic, French, English and German. The book will be available world wide. And what is more important: It will be sent to Tingel, so that every school kid will get their own copy of the book.
This is meant as the beginning of an intercultural exchange of stories and books: If this crowdfunding is successful and “The Okra Thief” can be produced, we will present the follow-up to the story, written by the children of Tingel. And then read by children all over the world. In stories we trust!
Come and support Maryam and Adnan to put an end to the okra thief’s racketeering by making “The Okra Thief” happen!

Our book aims at the children in Tingel/Chad. Every kid will received its own copy to take home, indulge in and share with their families. It will also be used in the local school in Tingel. The school is very young, it was established in 2019 only and is home to more than 200 children from the surrounding communities. It is the first and only school in the region. As a publicly accessible school, it offers a place where children of all ages can learn how to read and write. Languages of instruction are Arabic and French. The school’s facilities are very basic, there is neither a library nor are there any books available apart from copied educational materials.

But more than that, the book will be enjoyed by children - and their parents - all over the world.

With your help, we are able to realise an important cultural exchange between Chad and Germany. We will be able to publish the book "The Okra Thief" in four languages, Chadian Arabic, English, French and German, and deliver it to the children in Tingel/Chad and exchange about the adventures.

In Tingel, the book will be used in the local school, in both French and Arabic lessons, and of course spark the children's imagination to become storytellers themselves.

Your contribution finances the layout and printing of the book. The stories of Adnan and Maryam will fly to Chad, or wherever you like to have your copy of our book.