July 2, 2024 • 27 mins
The books your children read can shape their self-identity and cultural awareness. Join me in conversation with Khumo Tapfumaneyi, Co-Founder and Director of Ethnikids, as we discuss the life-changing power of diversity in children's literature.
We discuss how Ethnikids, an online children's book store, is transforming the South African book market by offering a range of inclusive books—from folktales to affirmation stories—that nurture a child's sense of belonging and self-worth. Khumo and her co-founder, Tina Akuoko believe it is fundamental to provide literature in all South African languages. Mother tongue literature can have profound psychological impact on children who see themselves reflected in the stories they read.
In this episode, Khumo also shares her entrepreneurial journey; from overcoming market challenges, to forming impactful partnerships with schools and libraries to promote reading for leisure. We delve into Ethnikids' exciting expansion into book publishing and how they tackle sustainability in their business practices. The Ethnikids co-founders have ambitious goals for expansion into the rest of Africa.
LINKS AND MENTIONS
Sho Majozi - https://www.instagram.com/shomadjozi/?hl=en
Professor Rudine Sims Bishop: https://www.readingrockets.org/people-and-organizations/rudine-sims-bishop
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kutloano Skosana (00:02):
Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers.
I'm your Kutloano Skosana Ricci, and this is the last episode
of Season 8.
Inclusion and diversity meandifferent things in different
parts of the world, and today weget into what this means in the
world of children's books inSouth Africa.
My guest today is KhumoTapfumaneyi, co-founder of the
inclusive children's onlinebookstore, ethnic Kids.
(00:24):
Fumane, co-founder of theinclusive children's online
bookstore Ethnic Kids, Kh umoand her co-founder, Tina
Boateng-Akuoko, are on a missionto affirm African children and
nurture their love for readingby curating relevant stories
about relevant and relatableprotagonists.
In our conversation, sheexplains how their company fits
into the literary landscape inSouth Africa and, indeed, the
(00:45):
rest of the continent.
We discuss how they pivotedtheir business to meet their
customers' needs and how theirsuccess is the embodiment of
busting myths about Africans andbooks.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (00:56):
I'm Kumo Tapfumaneyi and I'm a co-founder
and director at a companycalled Ethnikids, and we are an
online children's bookstore thatspecializes in diverse and
inclusive literature in allSouth African languages, and we
are also publishers of a similartype of material.
Kutloano Skosana (01:17):
Okay, first thing, diversity.
What does diversity mean in acountry like South Africa?
Because, you know, most of thetime especially for my audience
here in the US when they saydiversity it's mostly about
racial and ethnic group.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (01:33):
What's interesting and I like that you
use the US in your example isthat there was a very big lack
of representation in SouthAfrica.
So we have a very diversepopulation in that it's
multiracial, multilingual.
But if you look at themainstream bookstores and you
look at the type of books thatare found there, it was mainly
(01:56):
catering to one type of market,which is largely the white or
Caucasian or European descentmarket.
So what we mean by diversity isbeing more inclusive and
including characters that looklike the black people, african
people, colored people, indianpeople, making sure that our
(02:20):
children are able to see theirworld reflected in the material
that they consume, because it'svery harmful to live in a
country where you see a lot ofpeople that look like you but
when you enter certain spacesthey're missing.
That has a psychological effecton children and they've actually
done a lot of research into it.
There's a professor calledBishop who calls it the mirror
(02:45):
and windows effect.
So books play and other formsof media play an important role
in that they allow you to seeyourself and people like you
reflected in them, which affirmsyour own importance, and then,
importantly, they act as windowswhich allow you to look into
other cultures, other lifestylesand build a sense of tolerance.
(03:07):
So I think it was veryimportant for us to bring that
to the South African literaryspace, because it was glaringly
absent prior to us entering it.
Kutloano Skosana (03:17):
No, absolutely , and you know I like that idea
of a mirror.
So if you can just touch on thetype of content in the books,
you know what's popular folktales or modern contemporary
stories.
Yeah, how are the kidsreflected in those stories?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (03:32):
Yeah, so African literature is very
interesting in that we'reobviously very strong
storytellers and that's amulti-generational aspect to our
culture and it's been great tosee that move into the literary
space.
So folktales, especially forchildren, remain popular as a
genre, um, but we cater for alltypes of interests.
(03:53):
Um, we've got folktales, comicbooks, affirmation books are
very popular as well.
Um, those that affirm umchildren and help them see the
beauty in their skin, in theirhair, in their cultures, in
their language.
That's a very popular categoryas well.
But coloring books, all kindsof books.
So we try not to only have onecategory but have it be as wide
(04:18):
a range as possible to cater todifferent tastes.
Kutloano Skosana (04:21):
You also mentioned language.
So there are 13 languagegroupings in South Africa, but
you find that school is inEnglish.
A lot of books that areavailable are in English.
How have you navigated thatspace in terms of, maybe,
parents who want to maintaintheir mother tongue within the
(04:43):
house?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (04:44):
That's a very interesting space in that the
majority of South Africans, whenresearch has been conducted,
have actually indicated thatthey would prefer to read to
their children in their homelanguage.
But we've got a big problem interms of access to material in
our home languages and, as youmentioned, we've got multiple
languages and it's a veryimportant focus area for us as a
(05:07):
bookstore.
We ensure that we've gotmaterial in each and every South
African official language,including other African
languages such as Chisholm,kiswahili, as well as Yoruba,
just to be more inclusive,because we've got a very
pan-African society as well, andit's critical that parents that
want to be able to teach theirchildren the language have the
(05:31):
resources in order to do that.
So it's one thing to tell yourchild that it's important to
speak your home language, butwhen they look at the material
in their home, it's all inEnglish.
But when they see that you evenhave books in your language,
they see the importance of it,they learn the beauty of it and
they also get to build up theirvocabulary, because there's a
difference between spokenlanguage and often what you read
(05:51):
.
So it's very important that wehave a lot more resources
available in our home languages.
Kutloano Skosana (05:56):
Yeah, and you know, is that.
Is it popular for parents whoare parenting, especially in an
urban context, to actually seekout this material, or do you
find that you're still selling alot more English language books
?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (06:08):
I would say it's a mix.
So we've got parents whererepresentation from a racial
perspective is important to them, so they would like the
characters to be African, butnot necessarily have the
language be a home language orvernacular.
And then you've got the flipside, which are parents that for
them the importance is in thehome language, and we aren't
(06:31):
really prescriptive in terms ofwhat we recommend.
What we make sure we do is wehave choice available.
So no matter what language youspeak, you should be able to
access the language.
And you will still find parentsthat would like to read in
English because they believethat maybe the child would do
better in school, or whatevertheir reasons are.
We don't judge, we just providethe books.
Kutloano Skosana (06:54):
So how would you describe your role as ethnic
kids in the literary landscape,like how do you see the deeper
meaning of the work that you'redoing?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (07:04):
Sure, that's an interesting one.
I would see us as littledisruptors.
I say little because we aresmall compared to your
competitors mainstreambookstores and chains because
that's literally what you're upagainst in South Africa.
But I think we play a veryimportant role in that you will
always find your language atEthnic Kids.
Whether it sells, whether itdoesn't, it's a principle of
(07:26):
ours that we will stock it andmake sure that, even if it's one
person that needs to read abook, a society or whichever
language, they'll be able tofind it.
So I think we play an importantrole in terms of access and
that it's not only commercialfor us, but it's a bigger
purpose and it's a biggermission, as it were.
Kutloano Skosana (07:44):
Tell me about the bigger mission.
What did you set out to do whenyou started this shop?
What was your big vision?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (07:51):
Yeah, the big vision was to be able to affirm
children, show that they seethemselves represented in the
material that they consume, knowthat they matter, and the
stories of people that look likethem also matter.
And then, also very important,to drive the knowledge of our
home languages and accessibilityto the material as well.
So a lot of reasons given forthe lack of resources in our
(08:12):
home languages is that it's notcommercially viable or there's a
lack of demand.
But I think what we've beenable to demonstrate we've been
in business eight years now isthat people, there's a hunger
for it and you need to almoststick it out through the tough
times and even if you'recatering to a very small
population, there is a need forit and eventually we believe it
will grow.
Kutloano Skosana (08:33):
Yeah, so what are some of the advantages of
being a niche offering in theliterary market?
I mean, like you say, you're upagainst your big chains and
commercial stores.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (08:43):
I think the big advantage is that we're very
clear about who our customer is.
We're very clear about who wecater to, so we don't try to be
everything to everyone, andthat's a big differentiator.
It's helped us build acommunity, an inclusive
community at that, and sometimesthe person that you think is
your customer is not always theperson that you think it is, and
what I mean by that is we have,like dunnies in Bloemfontein
(09:07):
that are buying Sosoto booksbecause their children are
studying Sosoto at school.
So initially you might not haveset out to target that
individual, but because of theirpsychographics and their need,
they actually end up being yourcustomer and actually very much
belong to your community.
So, yeah, it's great to be niche, because you're very clear
about who you are.
Kutloano Skosana (09:29):
Today's guest on Shades and Layers is Khumo
Tapfumaneyi, co-founder of theinclusive children's online
bookstore, ethnic Kids.
Up next, we get into thenuances of the discussion around
reading habits in communitiesof color.
We discuss the evolution ofEthnikids over the years and how
the business partners haveleveraged their opportunities
(09:52):
and achieved so much in lessthan 10 years of operation.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, youknow.
It just reminded me of thismyth that refuses to die that
black people don't read, andthere's always this example
given about one of the bigchains shutting down.
In Soweto, when Maponya Mallwas opened and the big chain
(10:13):
shut down and everybody's likeoh, here's proof that you know
black people don't read or arenot interested in literature.
Anyway, of course, you'redemonstrating quite the opposite
, but can you talk to me abouthow things are changing in terms
of just killing this myth?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (10:29):
Yeah, One of my favorite quotes is actually
one by an American that saysthere's no such thing as a child
who hates to read.
They're only children who havenot found the right book, and I
think that's the problem inSouth Africa that we were trying
to present the population withbooks that they didn't identify
with, that they didn't resonatewith A lot of the big chain
stores the one that you refer to, for example, will have maybe
(10:51):
about 20 to 25% African stock inSouth Africa, when it really
should be the inverse.
You'd never walk into abookstore in Europe, for example
, and expect to find lesscontent from home then.
That's just not the case.
So I think that's probably anissue and it's a definite myth.
We've seen it.
We've been around for eightyears.
We've got customers.
(11:11):
We're still operational, andit's not just us.
I mean.
There are a lot of independentbookstores.
There are a lot of book fairsthat are popping up.
Soweto has one of the biggestbook fairs Abantu.
That was around from like about2016 or so.
There's a massive and growingbook culture, and I think that's
a very scary myth.
Kutloano Skosana (11:28):
Yeah, it is.
It's quite damaging actuallyand I'm glad that you kind of
provide a test case.
But you are not a brick andmortar store, so how do you
foster that connection to makesure that you know there is
growth in the market that you'reserving Our?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (11:48):
choice to go online, I think, was very much
in line with our business model.
So we started out as asubscription-based book service
where people could order and wedeliver to their home, and then
eventually almost got forcedinto being a bookstore because
of the different permutations ofSouth African households so
most South African householdsdon't speak one language, but
you might find in one householdthere's a Xhosa speaker, a Venda
(12:10):
speaker, and people that wereordering from us wanted us to
mix the boxes and it got to apoint where it just became too
difficult to try and figure outhow to work this and we were
then forced to allow forcustomization and forced to have
clients then choose forthemselves, and that's how we
became an online bookstore andwe have experimented with being
physical.
(12:31):
So we do pop-ups it used to beon a monthly basis, but now less
regular where we have bookevents and children get a chance
to interact with authors,interact with other children and
really have the stories comealive.
And then we had an actualpop-up store at one of the major
malls in Johannesburg, which weran over the December period
and was incredibly successful.
But that was just before COVIDand we learned some lessons that
(12:54):
have actually made us shy ofbeing in that space, just
because of profitability andyour overhead and what have you.
We weren't sure that it's theroute that we want to go to, but
maybe at a later stage, as weget bigger, it might be
something that we do.
Kutloano Skosana (13:05):
Okay, and then you mentioned that you work
with authors, who are your otherpartners in this space.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (13:12):
Sure, there are so many.
We work with a lot of readingNPOs, schools, libraries all
those who really have aninterest and passion for
literature are individuals thatwe would collaborate and work
with.
Kutloano Skosana (13:24):
Great.
So, in terms of schools, whatis your role in the education
space?
How do you see your role inthat space?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (13:32):
So the books that we provide are not academic
in nature, so it's what we calltrade publishing or reading for
leisure.
So the role that we play inthat space would be supplying
libraries with material forchildren to read for leisure, so
not academic reading, but wherethey actually just expand in
their vocabularies, readingstories and what have you.
(13:52):
And then we also assist schoolwith events, author visits,
making sure that especially thekind of schools that we work
with, they also increase thediversity in their libraries as
well.
Kutloano Skosana (14:03):
So let's talk about you and your team.
You say we a lot, so who areyou guys?
Who are the partners and whodoes what?
How big is your team?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (14:13):
Yeah, so I speak on behalf of many.
I have a Tina Akuoko, , andshe's my business partner
co-founder and we started out asfive of us and over the years
it whittled down to two, andthen we also have people that
help us in the business.
So we've got two full-timeemployed staff members, and then
we've also got two part-timestaff members that do freelance
(14:34):
work with us as well.
So are two part-time staffmembers that do freelance work
with us as well.
So in total we are six and wesplit our venture between
publishing, or editorial, side,and then the bookstore, which is
the retail side.
Kutloano Skosana (14:44):
So in the publishing and editorial side,
when did you add that and how'sit going?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (14:49):
It's gone really well, it's still very
small because we're managing ourcapacity quite tightly.
So we pivoted into publishingin 2020, when government deemed
books to be a non-essential goodand we were not allowed to
trade and we had to think aboutif our mission is to affirm
children and make sure thatrepresentative material is
(15:10):
available to all.
Is that only done throughreselling books or are there
other ways to achieve thismission?
And that's how we actually thenpivoted into publishing, and
we've worked with a well-knownrestaurant brand in South Africa
, wimpy, for four years now.
So we mostly do sponsoredpublishing, and we've also gone
on to create a bestseller calledShoma and the Stars in
(15:31):
partnership with Shoma Josie.
So those are some of our biggerprojects, and we've also done a
comic book for the Meta Groupas well.
Kutloano Skosana (15:41):
Okay, great, and how long did it take you?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (15:42):
to turn a profit as an entity Many, many,
many years.
I think we only becameprofitable in year six or year
seven.
Yeah, so it's been a long roadbut, as I mentioned, for us it
wasn't just about the commercialviability.
Us, it wasn't just about thecommercial viability, even
though we are people from thatworld and we understand what
that means.
It's more about the mission andthe role that we play and not
(16:05):
exiting the industry and makingsure that there's a change in
how things are done.
Kutloano Skosana (16:10):
Okay, so you mentioned that you are people
from that world.
Which world is that?
What's your background?
The world of banking andfinance.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (16:19):
So we're not literary people in that sense,
but we were moms who had a needand were driven to find a
solution for ourselves andothers like us and, apart from
the bottom line, how do youmeasure success?
Kutloano Skosana (16:32):
Because this is quite a big project that you
guys have taken on.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (16:36):
Yeah.
So the bottom line is importantand we're happy that we are
profitable now.
No, of course.
Kutloano Skosana (16:43):
That's without a doubt.
Yes.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (16:45):
That allows us to make an impact.
It's really it's amazing thatwe are able to do what we love
but also, in doing so, employpeople.
We work with a lot of young,talented women and men, but it's
really great to be able toyoung people's lives in that
manner and impart what we knowand watch them, help us and
(17:09):
share their creativity and workwith us.
And then another thing is aboutthe children.
Even if we just get one emailfrom one parent just letting us
know the impact that the bookshave made on their child, that
really, really keeps us goingand it's really fulfilling to
know that you're making adifference, even if it's to just
one individual.
Kutloano Skosana (17:26):
Yeah, great, and I have to ask you with
regards to two things.
As far as your business modelgoes, you're an online bookstore
, which means you've gotlogistics and, of course,
there's also the packaging sideof it, and I usually like to
touch on issues ofsustainability and what area
you've chosen to tackle.
So how do you viewsustainability in your context
(17:48):
and how do you try and fulfillyour mission?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (17:50):
Well, sustainability is hard when
you're in the industry thatwe're in, because it's basically
like a paper-based industry andthe packaging is made out of
paper as well.
It's boxes, the stuffing.
So it is something that we aremindful of, and how we would
contribute is through awarenessand making sure that we
celebrate important days likeWorld Earth Day, making sure
that children understand theimportance of recycling and if,
(18:12):
for example, we've got booksthat we can donate, we're very
big on that.
We always take part in MandelaDay, which is not necessarily
environmental but from a socialpoint of view, we do very much
like to give back.
Yeah yeah, we're not as green aswe would like to be.
We're not as digital as wewould like to be.
As publishers, we do publish alot of e-books, but I think
(18:34):
that's definitely an area thatwe would like to grow into.
Kutloano Skosana (18:37):
Yeah, Is there uptake as far as that goes in
terms of digital books, e-books,it's growing.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (18:43):
It's a lot more economical, but the
restrictions are certain thatyou need, for example, data in
order to access the books, sothat's why it doesn't have the
reach that it could possiblyhave.
But I think going forward therewill be a lot more uptake.
And then it also gets difficulta lot in terms of protection of
intellectual property.
That's another challenge inthat space.
(19:04):
So where it's sponsoredpublication and or sponsored
publishing and the restaurant orthe entity doesn't mind people
having free access to it, itworks quite well.
But where it's commercial innature, it gets a little bit
tricky.
But it's definitely an areathat we're interested in and
always keen to explore.
Kutloano Skosana (19:21):
Okay, yeah, that would be fun actually.
So when you look at the nextfive years for your company,
what do you want to achieve inthat timeframe?
We have such big dreams.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (19:34):
A big one is publishing more projects that
make our hearts sing, findingways to get our stories out
there.
We'd also really like to growacross the continent, so we
changed our domain from coza toafrica a few years back, and
that was really with thatmission in mind of being able to
serve the whole continent, asit were, and even going global.
(19:57):
We would really like to do morevisit more international book
fairs, make sure that peopleknow how awesome South African
stories are and how differentthey are.
It's not what we've becomeaccustomed to.
There's so many fresh voices.
We'd really like to be involvedin unearthing and giving people
a platform.
Yeah, that'd be great.
Kutloano Skosana (20:18):
Ethnik ids is an online children's bookstore
that affirms African childrenand cultivates their love for
reading by providing relevantstories in local languages.
Up next Khumo Tapfumaneyi,co-founder tells us about the
mentors who have helped her onher path to success.
We also get into the shades andlayers rapid fire, as well as
(20:38):
her aspirations for the future.
So let's talk about yourentrepreneurial journey.
Is entrepreneurship a stumbleupon for you or something you've
always wanted to do?
Sure, that's interesting.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (20:49):
I think it's something that I'd always wanted
to do, but this particularventure was stumbled upon in
that we did it.
It was like a group effort andthen you end up, oh, like,
really passionate about what itis you're doing.
So, yeah, it's been aninteresting journey.
It fits me very well the kindof personality that I have
self-starter don't really likerules much.
(21:11):
That's a great thing aboutentrepreneurship freedom to be
and create what it is that youwant to.
So I have really, reallyenjoyed that.
I'm also a very goal-drivenperson and it's been wonderful
to watch this entity grow.
Yeah, and I don't think I'd bean entrepreneur if I was doing
it by myself.
So my partner, Tina, and I Ithink the two of us make a
(21:32):
perfect person, if I can put itthat way.
We're very different in terms ofour strengths and our
weaknesses, and it's been awonderful journey because of
that partnership, and it's gonemuch deeper than even just the
business.
I mean, yeah, we're basicallyfamily now.
Kutloano Skosana (21:45):
Our husbands are friends.
Our kids are friends.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (21:49):
I think that's also made it very
enjoyable, that it doesn't feellike work.
Kutloano Skosana (21:53):
Absolutely yeah.
Once you find a good partner,that's when the magic happens.
Yeah.
And what about literature?
Has it been a passion of yours,or you just got concerned when
you started being a mom?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (22:06):
No, I think I'm definitely a bibliophile.
I've always loved reading.
Gaping into books, especiallyAfrican literature, is something
that I've always beenpassionate about.
So yeah, it really it justspoke to me.
It aligned.
I don't know if I would havestarted a business if I was on
my own, is what I mean, but thepassion was definitely there.
But knowing that there werepeople to almost help in
crafting it and putting it outthere made the journey a little
(22:29):
bit easier.
But on my own sitting down.
I would have probably been likeman.
Kutloano Skosana (22:36):
Okay, understandable, understandable.
And who do you look to for anexample, to follow or to support
your journey as an entrepreneur?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (22:45):
Oh, we've been very fortunate, had
multiple mentors along the way.
I've got many friends that areincredible entrepreneurs that
have never even worked a day intheir lives.
I look to them for a lot ofadvice.
Parents, a lot of our friendsthat were in the business and
are no longer in the businessare also great sounding boards
and great mentors along the way.
(23:05):
I don't think it hasn't been ajourney that we've walked on our
own, even formally.
I mean, last year we won thebig pitch competition with
Momentum and a big part of thatwas we received consultation
work with a company calledSukume for three months and that
was amazing to be able to sitdown with people that look at
your business, look at all themistakes that you're making,
(23:27):
look at all the opportunitiesthat you can potentially explore
and help you just craft thosestrategies.
That was an incredible valueadd.
So, yeah, we've been veryfortunate that we've always had
these fairy godmothers along theway, and we're also very
intentional about asking forhelp, reaching out to people in
the industry that we can learnfrom and making sure that we get
(23:47):
the advice that we need.
Yeah, yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (23:49):
Well, that's great.
And what is a piece of goodadvice that you've received
recently, let's say and that youput into practice?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (23:58):
Sure, I think a big one has been assessing
the type of partnerships that weenter into and the type of work
that we do.
So just making sure that you'revery intentional about what it
is that you're trying to do,because I find that as you get a
little bit bigger and moreopportunities are presented to
you, it almost becomes temptingto just go in whichever
(24:19):
direction.
But it's important to alwaysremember why it is you started
and stick to that and grow withthat and don't be tempted to
abandon your values for I don'tknow.
Yeah.
Always remember your know, yeah, yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (24:33):
Always remember your why For commercial
success.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (24:37):
Remember your why, basically.
So that's been really reallygood advice for us.
Kutloano Skosana (24:42):
Yeah, great.
And if I had to ask you towrite a book about your life,
what would you call it and whythat would?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (24:50):
be premature.
I'm not ready yet, but I thinkpotentially.
Kutloano Skosana (24:57):
I would call the book Audacity.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (24:58):
I think it took a lot of audacity to do
what we've done, especiallygiven that we didn't know much
about the literary world beforewe started.
But yeah, you need a healthydose of that to keep going and
to believe that you can dothings differently.
And it helps being novices inthat we don't know how things
were done, so it's been easy tobreak the mold we needed and to
(25:19):
just almost like yeah, createyour own path.
Kutloano Skosana (25:21):
The other question in the rapid fire is
who would you choose to play thelead actress in the biopic
version of Audacity?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (25:30):
It would definitely be Mapaseka Koetle.
I know her surname now.
I've always loved her.
I follow her on Instagram.
She's a girl from Blum, or awoman actually I shouldn't call
her a girl, but yeah, she'samazing.
I saw her in how to Ruin Loveon Netflix.
And it's so nice to see aperson who comes from where you
come from, using the lingo fromhome, so I think she would give
(25:52):
an honest portrayal of myjourney, as it were.
Kutloano Skosana (25:56):
Great.
And if you had to invite afamous Black woman, living or
dead, to dinner, who would it beand why it would?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (26:02):
undoubtedly be Miss Oprah Winfrey.
She's actually a big reason ofwhy I love books so much.
I grew up, like everybody elseher watching her between 4 and
on SABC3, the Oprah Winfrey showand discovering her book club,
and I think she's veryinfluential and has served the
(26:22):
space so well and I'd reallylove to introduce her to what's
happening in the children's bookspace in South Africa.
Kutloano Skosana (26:28):
Great.
And if people want to work withyou, partner with you, where
can they reach you?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (26:34):
They can reach us on Instagram.
We are very social on socialmedia, so they're welcome to
slide into our DMs, even onTikTok, and we're also reachable
via email.
They can email inquiries atethnickidscoza.
We strive to be responsiveGreat.
Kutloano Skosana (26:49):
Is there anything else that people should
know about you or ethnic kidsthat maybe we didn't touch on?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (26:56):
They should support us if they can.
You don't have to always buybooks if you're not a parent,
but if you buy for your nieces,buy for your nephews.
We need to really keep theindustry alive.
We need to support our authors.
It takes us basically, it's notgoing to be.
There's no one coming to saveus, as they say, and we need to
show that this is viable.
(27:16):
So please do support us whereyou can.
They make excellent gifts.
Kutloano Skosana (27:20):
Yes, I love that, and that is all from me
this time around.
This is the last episode of theseason and new episodes will be
coming at you after theNorthern Summer.
I hope you enjoyed thisconversation as much as I did
and if you liked it or you thinksomeone else might enjoy it,
please spread the love bysharing.
If you'd like to stay in touchand expand on the topics covered
(27:42):
in this and other episodes,subscribe to the community
newsletter.
You'll find a link in the shownotes.
Thank you for listening and foryour ongoing support.
I'm Guttmanusko, sana Ritchie,and until next time, please do
take good care.
Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers.
I'm your Kutloano Skosana Ricci, and this is the last episode
of Season 8.
Inclusion and diversity meandifferent things in different
parts of the world, and today weget into what this means in the
world of children's books inSouth Africa.
My guest today is KhumoTapfumaneyi, co-founder of the
inclusive children's onlinebookstore, ethnic Kids.
(00:24):
Fumane, co-founder of theinclusive children's online
bookstore Ethnic Kids, Kh umoand her co-founder, Tina
Boateng-Akuoko, are on a missionto affirm African children and
nurture their love for readingby curating relevant stories
about relevant and relatableprotagonists.
In our conversation, sheexplains how their company fits
into the literary landscape inSouth Africa and, indeed, the
(00:45):
rest of the continent.
We discuss how they pivotedtheir business to meet their
customers' needs and how theirsuccess is the embodiment of
busting myths about Africans andbooks.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (00:56):
I'm Kumo Tapfumaneyi and I'm a co-founder
and director at a companycalled Ethnikids, and we are an
online children's bookstore thatspecializes in diverse and
inclusive literature in allSouth African languages, and we
are also publishers of a similartype of material.
Kutloano Skosana (01:17):
Okay, first thing, diversity.
What does diversity mean in acountry like South Africa?
Because, you know, most of thetime especially for my audience
here in the US when they saydiversity it's mostly about
racial and ethnic group.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (01:33):
What's interesting and I like that you
use the US in your example isthat there was a very big lack
of representation in SouthAfrica.
So we have a very diversepopulation in that it's
multiracial, multilingual.
But if you look at themainstream bookstores and you
look at the type of books thatare found there, it was mainly
(01:56):
catering to one type of market,which is largely the white or
Caucasian or European descentmarket.
So what we mean by diversity isbeing more inclusive and
including characters that looklike the black people, african
people, colored people, indianpeople, making sure that our
(02:20):
children are able to see theirworld reflected in the material
that they consume, because it'svery harmful to live in a
country where you see a lot ofpeople that look like you but
when you enter certain spacesthey're missing.
That has a psychological effecton children and they've actually
done a lot of research into it.
There's a professor calledBishop who calls it the mirror
(02:45):
and windows effect.
So books play and other formsof media play an important role
in that they allow you to seeyourself and people like you
reflected in them, which affirmsyour own importance, and then,
importantly, they act as windowswhich allow you to look into
other cultures, other lifestylesand build a sense of tolerance.
(03:07):
So I think it was veryimportant for us to bring that
to the South African literaryspace, because it was glaringly
absent prior to us entering it.
Kutloano Skosana (03:17):
No, absolutely , and you know I like that idea
of a mirror.
So if you can just touch on thetype of content in the books,
you know what's popular folktales or modern contemporary
stories.
Yeah, how are the kidsreflected in those stories?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (03:32):
Yeah, so African literature is very
interesting in that we'reobviously very strong
storytellers and that's amulti-generational aspect to our
culture and it's been great tosee that move into the literary
space.
So folktales, especially forchildren, remain popular as a
genre, um, but we cater for alltypes of interests.
(03:53):
Um, we've got folktales, comicbooks, affirmation books are
very popular as well.
Um, those that affirm umchildren and help them see the
beauty in their skin, in theirhair, in their cultures, in
their language.
That's a very popular categoryas well.
But coloring books, all kindsof books.
So we try not to only have onecategory but have it be as wide
(04:18):
a range as possible to cater todifferent tastes.
Kutloano Skosana (04:21):
You also mentioned language.
So there are 13 languagegroupings in South Africa, but
you find that school is inEnglish.
A lot of books that areavailable are in English.
How have you navigated thatspace in terms of, maybe,
parents who want to maintaintheir mother tongue within the
(04:43):
house?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (04:44):
That's a very interesting space in that the
majority of South Africans, whenresearch has been conducted,
have actually indicated thatthey would prefer to read to
their children in their homelanguage.
But we've got a big problem interms of access to material in
our home languages and, as youmentioned, we've got multiple
languages and it's a veryimportant focus area for us as a
(05:07):
bookstore.
We ensure that we've gotmaterial in each and every South
African official language,including other African
languages such as Chisholm,kiswahili, as well as Yoruba,
just to be more inclusive,because we've got a very
pan-African society as well, andit's critical that parents that
want to be able to teach theirchildren the language have the
(05:31):
resources in order to do that.
So it's one thing to tell yourchild that it's important to
speak your home language, butwhen they look at the material
in their home, it's all inEnglish.
But when they see that you evenhave books in your language,
they see the importance of it,they learn the beauty of it and
they also get to build up theirvocabulary, because there's a
difference between spokenlanguage and often what you read
(05:51):
.
So it's very important that wehave a lot more resources
available in our home languages.
Kutloano Skosana (05:56):
Yeah, and you know, is that.
Is it popular for parents whoare parenting, especially in an
urban context, to actually seekout this material, or do you
find that you're still selling alot more English language books
?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (06:08):
I would say it's a mix.
So we've got parents whererepresentation from a racial
perspective is important to them, so they would like the
characters to be African, butnot necessarily have the
language be a home language orvernacular.
And then you've got the flipside, which are parents that for
them the importance is in thehome language, and we aren't
(06:31):
really prescriptive in terms ofwhat we recommend.
What we make sure we do is wehave choice available.
So no matter what language youspeak, you should be able to
access the language.
And you will still find parentsthat would like to read in
English because they believethat maybe the child would do
better in school, or whatevertheir reasons are.
We don't judge, we just providethe books.
Kutloano Skosana (06:54):
So how would you describe your role as ethnic
kids in the literary landscape,like how do you see the deeper
meaning of the work that you'redoing?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (07:04):
Sure, that's an interesting one.
I would see us as littledisruptors.
I say little because we aresmall compared to your
competitors mainstreambookstores and chains because
that's literally what you're upagainst in South Africa.
But I think we play a veryimportant role in that you will
always find your language atEthnic Kids.
Whether it sells, whether itdoesn't, it's a principle of
(07:26):
ours that we will stock it andmake sure that, even if it's one
person that needs to read abook, a society or whichever
language, they'll be able tofind it.
So I think we play an importantrole in terms of access and
that it's not only commercialfor us, but it's a bigger
purpose and it's a biggermission, as it were.
Kutloano Skosana (07:44):
Tell me about the bigger mission.
What did you set out to do whenyou started this shop?
What was your big vision?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (07:51):
Yeah, the big vision was to be able to affirm
children, show that they seethemselves represented in the
material that they consume, knowthat they matter, and the
stories of people that look likethem also matter.
And then, also very important,to drive the knowledge of our
home languages and accessibilityto the material as well.
So a lot of reasons given forthe lack of resources in our
(08:12):
home languages is that it's notcommercially viable or there's a
lack of demand.
But I think what we've beenable to demonstrate we've been
in business eight years now isthat people, there's a hunger
for it and you need to almoststick it out through the tough
times and even if you'recatering to a very small
population, there is a need forit and eventually we believe it
will grow.
Kutloano Skosana (08:33):
Yeah, so what are some of the advantages of
being a niche offering in theliterary market?
I mean, like you say, you're upagainst your big chains and
commercial stores.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (08:43):
I think the big advantage is that we're very
clear about who our customer is.
We're very clear about who wecater to, so we don't try to be
everything to everyone, andthat's a big differentiator.
It's helped us build acommunity, an inclusive
community at that, and sometimesthe person that you think is
your customer is not always theperson that you think it is, and
what I mean by that is we have,like dunnies in Bloemfontein
(09:07):
that are buying Sosoto booksbecause their children are
studying Sosoto at school.
So initially you might not haveset out to target that
individual, but because of theirpsychographics and their need,
they actually end up being yourcustomer and actually very much
belong to your community.
So, yeah, it's great to be niche, because you're very clear
about who you are.
Kutloano Skosana (09:29):
Today's guest on Shades and Layers is Khumo
Tapfumaneyi, co-founder of theinclusive children's online
bookstore, ethnic Kids.
Up next, we get into thenuances of the discussion around
reading habits in communitiesof color.
We discuss the evolution ofEthnikids over the years and how
the business partners haveleveraged their opportunities
(09:52):
and achieved so much in lessthan 10 years of operation.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, youknow.
It just reminded me of thismyth that refuses to die that
black people don't read, andthere's always this example
given about one of the bigchains shutting down.
In Soweto, when Maponya Mallwas opened and the big chain
(10:13):
shut down and everybody's likeoh, here's proof that you know
black people don't read or arenot interested in literature.
Anyway, of course, you'redemonstrating quite the opposite
, but can you talk to me abouthow things are changing in terms
of just killing this myth?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (10:29):
Yeah, One of my favorite quotes is actually
one by an American that saysthere's no such thing as a child
who hates to read.
They're only children who havenot found the right book, and I
think that's the problem inSouth Africa that we were trying
to present the population withbooks that they didn't identify
with, that they didn't resonatewith A lot of the big chain
stores the one that you refer to, for example, will have maybe
(10:51):
about 20 to 25% African stock inSouth Africa, when it really
should be the inverse.
You'd never walk into abookstore in Europe, for example
, and expect to find lesscontent from home then.
That's just not the case.
So I think that's probably anissue and it's a definite myth.
We've seen it.
We've been around for eightyears.
We've got customers.
(11:11):
We're still operational, andit's not just us.
I mean.
There are a lot of independentbookstores.
There are a lot of book fairsthat are popping up.
Soweto has one of the biggestbook fairs Abantu.
That was around from like about2016 or so.
There's a massive and growingbook culture, and I think that's
a very scary myth.
Kutloano Skosana (11:28):
Yeah, it is.
It's quite damaging actuallyand I'm glad that you kind of
provide a test case.
But you are not a brick andmortar store, so how do you
foster that connection to makesure that you know there is
growth in the market that you'reserving Our?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (11:48):
choice to go online, I think, was very much
in line with our business model.
So we started out as asubscription-based book service
where people could order and wedeliver to their home, and then
eventually almost got forcedinto being a bookstore because
of the different permutations ofSouth African households so
most South African householdsdon't speak one language, but
you might find in one householdthere's a Xhosa speaker, a Venda
(12:10):
speaker, and people that wereordering from us wanted us to
mix the boxes and it got to apoint where it just became too
difficult to try and figure outhow to work this and we were
then forced to allow forcustomization and forced to have
clients then choose forthemselves, and that's how we
became an online bookstore andwe have experimented with being
physical.
(12:31):
So we do pop-ups it used to beon a monthly basis, but now less
regular where we have bookevents and children get a chance
to interact with authors,interact with other children and
really have the stories comealive.
And then we had an actualpop-up store at one of the major
malls in Johannesburg, which weran over the December period
and was incredibly successful.
But that was just before COVIDand we learned some lessons that
(12:54):
have actually made us shy ofbeing in that space, just
because of profitability andyour overhead and what have you.
We weren't sure that it's theroute that we want to go to, but
maybe at a later stage, as weget bigger, it might be
something that we do.
Kutloano Skosana (13:05):
Okay, and then you mentioned that you work
with authors, who are your otherpartners in this space.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (13:12):
Sure, there are so many.
We work with a lot of readingNPOs, schools, libraries all
those who really have aninterest and passion for
literature are individuals thatwe would collaborate and work
with.
Kutloano Skosana (13:24):
Great.
So, in terms of schools, whatis your role in the education
space?
How do you see your role inthat space?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (13:32):
So the books that we provide are not academic
in nature, so it's what we calltrade publishing or reading for
leisure.
So the role that we play inthat space would be supplying
libraries with material forchildren to read for leisure, so
not academic reading, but wherethey actually just expand in
their vocabularies, readingstories and what have you.
(13:52):
And then we also assist schoolwith events, author visits,
making sure that especially thekind of schools that we work
with, they also increase thediversity in their libraries as
well.
Kutloano Skosana (14:03):
So let's talk about you and your team.
You say we a lot, so who areyou guys?
Who are the partners and whodoes what?
How big is your team?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (14:13):
Yeah, so I speak on behalf of many.
I have a Tina Akuoko, , andshe's my business partner
co-founder and we started out asfive of us and over the years
it whittled down to two, andthen we also have people that
help us in the business.
So we've got two full-timeemployed staff members, and then
we've also got two part-timestaff members that do freelance
(14:34):
work with us as well.
So are two part-time staffmembers that do freelance work
with us as well.
So in total we are six and wesplit our venture between
publishing, or editorial, side,and then the bookstore, which is
the retail side.
Kutloano Skosana (14:44):
So in the publishing and editorial side,
when did you add that and how'sit going?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (14:49):
It's gone really well, it's still very
small because we're managing ourcapacity quite tightly.
So we pivoted into publishingin 2020, when government deemed
books to be a non-essential goodand we were not allowed to
trade and we had to think aboutif our mission is to affirm
children and make sure thatrepresentative material is
(15:10):
available to all.
Is that only done throughreselling books or are there
other ways to achieve thismission?
And that's how we actually thenpivoted into publishing, and
we've worked with a well-knownrestaurant brand in South Africa
, wimpy, for four years now.
So we mostly do sponsoredpublishing, and we've also gone
on to create a bestseller calledShoma and the Stars in
(15:31):
partnership with Shoma Josie.
So those are some of our biggerprojects, and we've also done a
comic book for the Meta Groupas well.
Kutloano Skosana (15:41):
Okay, great, and how long did it take you?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (15:42):
to turn a profit as an entity Many, many,
many years.
I think we only becameprofitable in year six or year
seven.
Yeah, so it's been a long roadbut, as I mentioned, for us it
wasn't just about the commercialviability.
Us, it wasn't just about thecommercial viability, even
though we are people from thatworld and we understand what
that means.
It's more about the mission andthe role that we play and not
(16:05):
exiting the industry and makingsure that there's a change in
how things are done.
Kutloano Skosana (16:10):
Okay, so you mentioned that you are people
from that world.
Which world is that?
What's your background?
The world of banking andfinance.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (16:19):
So we're not literary people in that sense,
but we were moms who had a needand were driven to find a
solution for ourselves andothers like us and, apart from
the bottom line, how do youmeasure success?
Kutloano Skosana (16:32):
Because this is quite a big project that you
guys have taken on.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (16:36):
Yeah.
So the bottom line is importantand we're happy that we are
profitable now.
No, of course.
Kutloano Skosana (16:43):
That's without a doubt.
Yes.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (16:45):
That allows us to make an impact.
It's really it's amazing thatwe are able to do what we love
but also, in doing so, employpeople.
We work with a lot of young,talented women and men, but it's
really great to be able toyoung people's lives in that
manner and impart what we knowand watch them, help us and
(17:09):
share their creativity and workwith us.
And then another thing is aboutthe children.
Even if we just get one emailfrom one parent just letting us
know the impact that the bookshave made on their child, that
really, really keeps us goingand it's really fulfilling to
know that you're making adifference, even if it's to just
one individual.
Kutloano Skosana (17:26):
Yeah, great, and I have to ask you with
regards to two things.
As far as your business modelgoes, you're an online bookstore
, which means you've gotlogistics and, of course,
there's also the packaging sideof it, and I usually like to
touch on issues ofsustainability and what area
you've chosen to tackle.
So how do you viewsustainability in your context
(17:48):
and how do you try and fulfillyour mission?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (17:50):
Well, sustainability is hard when
you're in the industry thatwe're in, because it's basically
like a paper-based industry andthe packaging is made out of
paper as well.
It's boxes, the stuffing.
So it is something that we aremindful of, and how we would
contribute is through awarenessand making sure that we
celebrate important days likeWorld Earth Day, making sure
that children understand theimportance of recycling and if,
(18:12):
for example, we've got booksthat we can donate, we're very
big on that.
We always take part in MandelaDay, which is not necessarily
environmental but from a socialpoint of view, we do very much
like to give back.
Yeah yeah, we're not as green aswe would like to be.
We're not as digital as wewould like to be.
As publishers, we do publish alot of e-books, but I think
(18:34):
that's definitely an area thatwe would like to grow into.
Kutloano Skosana (18:37):
Yeah, Is there uptake as far as that goes in
terms of digital books, e-books,it's growing.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (18:43):
It's a lot more economical, but the
restrictions are certain thatyou need, for example, data in
order to access the books, sothat's why it doesn't have the
reach that it could possiblyhave.
But I think going forward therewill be a lot more uptake.
And then it also gets difficulta lot in terms of protection of
intellectual property.
That's another challenge inthat space.
(19:04):
So where it's sponsoredpublication and or sponsored
publishing and the restaurant orthe entity doesn't mind people
having free access to it, itworks quite well.
But where it's commercial innature, it gets a little bit
tricky.
But it's definitely an areathat we're interested in and
always keen to explore.
Kutloano Skosana (19:21):
Okay, yeah, that would be fun actually.
So when you look at the nextfive years for your company,
what do you want to achieve inthat timeframe?
We have such big dreams.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (19:34):
A big one is publishing more projects that
make our hearts sing, findingways to get our stories out
there.
We'd also really like to growacross the continent, so we
changed our domain from coza toafrica a few years back, and
that was really with thatmission in mind of being able to
serve the whole continent, asit were, and even going global.
(19:57):
We would really like to do morevisit more international book
fairs, make sure that peopleknow how awesome South African
stories are and how differentthey are.
It's not what we've becomeaccustomed to.
There's so many fresh voices.
We'd really like to be involvedin unearthing and giving people
a platform.
Yeah, that'd be great.
Kutloano Skosana (20:18):
Ethnik ids is an online children's bookstore
that affirms African childrenand cultivates their love for
reading by providing relevantstories in local languages.
Up next Khumo Tapfumaneyi,co-founder tells us about the
mentors who have helped her onher path to success.
We also get into the shades andlayers rapid fire, as well as
(20:38):
her aspirations for the future.
So let's talk about yourentrepreneurial journey.
Is entrepreneurship a stumbleupon for you or something you've
always wanted to do?
Sure, that's interesting.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (20:49):
I think it's something that I'd always wanted
to do, but this particularventure was stumbled upon in
that we did it.
It was like a group effort andthen you end up, oh, like,
really passionate about what itis you're doing.
So, yeah, it's been aninteresting journey.
It fits me very well the kindof personality that I have
self-starter don't really likerules much.
(21:11):
That's a great thing aboutentrepreneurship freedom to be
and create what it is that youwant to.
So I have really, reallyenjoyed that.
I'm also a very goal-drivenperson and it's been wonderful
to watch this entity grow.
Yeah, and I don't think I'd bean entrepreneur if I was doing
it by myself.
So my partner, Tina, and I Ithink the two of us make a
(21:32):
perfect person, if I can put itthat way.
We're very different in terms ofour strengths and our
weaknesses, and it's been awonderful journey because of
that partnership, and it's gonemuch deeper than even just the
business.
I mean, yeah, we're basicallyfamily now.
Kutloano Skosana (21:45):
Our husbands are friends.
Our kids are friends.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (21:49):
I think that's also made it very
enjoyable, that it doesn't feellike work.
Kutloano Skosana (21:53):
Absolutely yeah.
Once you find a good partner,that's when the magic happens.
Yeah.
And what about literature?
Has it been a passion of yours,or you just got concerned when
you started being a mom?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (22:06):
No, I think I'm definitely a bibliophile.
I've always loved reading.
Gaping into books, especiallyAfrican literature, is something
that I've always beenpassionate about.
So yeah, it really it justspoke to me.
It aligned.
I don't know if I would havestarted a business if I was on
my own, is what I mean, but thepassion was definitely there.
But knowing that there werepeople to almost help in
crafting it and putting it outthere made the journey a little
(22:29):
bit easier.
But on my own sitting down.
I would have probably been likeman.
Kutloano Skosana (22:36):
Okay, understandable, understandable.
And who do you look to for anexample, to follow or to support
your journey as an entrepreneur?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (22:45):
Oh, we've been very fortunate, had
multiple mentors along the way.
I've got many friends that areincredible entrepreneurs that
have never even worked a day intheir lives.
I look to them for a lot ofadvice.
Parents, a lot of our friendsthat were in the business and
are no longer in the businessare also great sounding boards
and great mentors along the way.
(23:05):
I don't think it hasn't been ajourney that we've walked on our
own, even formally.
I mean, last year we won thebig pitch competition with
Momentum and a big part of thatwas we received consultation
work with a company calledSukume for three months and that
was amazing to be able to sitdown with people that look at
your business, look at all themistakes that you're making,
(23:27):
look at all the opportunitiesthat you can potentially explore
and help you just craft thosestrategies.
That was an incredible valueadd.
So, yeah, we've been veryfortunate that we've always had
these fairy godmothers along theway, and we're also very
intentional about asking forhelp, reaching out to people in
the industry that we can learnfrom and making sure that we get
(23:47):
the advice that we need.
Yeah, yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (23:49):
Well, that's great.
And what is a piece of goodadvice that you've received
recently, let's say and that youput into practice?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (23:58):
Sure, I think a big one has been assessing
the type of partnerships that weenter into and the type of work
that we do.
So just making sure that you'revery intentional about what it
is that you're trying to do,because I find that as you get a
little bit bigger and moreopportunities are presented to
you, it almost becomes temptingto just go in whichever
(24:19):
direction.
But it's important to alwaysremember why it is you started
and stick to that and grow withthat and don't be tempted to
abandon your values for I don'tknow.
Yeah.
Always remember your know, yeah, yeah.
Kutloano Skosana (24:33):
Always remember your why For commercial
success.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (24:37):
Remember your why, basically.
So that's been really reallygood advice for us.
Kutloano Skosana (24:42):
Yeah, great.
And if I had to ask you towrite a book about your life,
what would you call it and whythat would?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (24:50):
be premature.
I'm not ready yet, but I thinkpotentially.
Kutloano Skosana (24:57):
I would call the book Audacity.
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (24:58):
I think it took a lot of audacity to do
what we've done, especiallygiven that we didn't know much
about the literary world beforewe started.
But yeah, you need a healthydose of that to keep going and
to believe that you can dothings differently.
And it helps being novices inthat we don't know how things
were done, so it's been easy tobreak the mold we needed and to
(25:19):
just almost like yeah, createyour own path.
Kutloano Skosana (25:21):
The other question in the rapid fire is
who would you choose to play thelead actress in the biopic
version of Audacity?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (25:30):
It would definitely be Mapaseka Koetle.
I know her surname now.
I've always loved her.
I follow her on Instagram.
She's a girl from Blum, or awoman actually I shouldn't call
her a girl, but yeah, she'samazing.
I saw her in how to Ruin Loveon Netflix.
And it's so nice to see aperson who comes from where you
come from, using the lingo fromhome, so I think she would give
(25:52):
an honest portrayal of myjourney, as it were.
Kutloano Skosana (25:56):
Great.
And if you had to invite afamous Black woman, living or
dead, to dinner, who would it beand why it would?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (26:02):
undoubtedly be Miss Oprah Winfrey.
She's actually a big reason ofwhy I love books so much.
I grew up, like everybody elseher watching her between 4 and
on SABC3, the Oprah Winfrey showand discovering her book club,
and I think she's veryinfluential and has served the
(26:22):
space so well and I'd reallylove to introduce her to what's
happening in the children's bookspace in South Africa.
Kutloano Skosana (26:28):
Great.
And if people want to work withyou, partner with you, where
can they reach you?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (26:34):
They can reach us on Instagram.
We are very social on socialmedia, so they're welcome to
slide into our DMs, even onTikTok, and we're also reachable
via email.
They can email inquiries atethnickidscoza.
We strive to be responsiveGreat.
Kutloano Skosana (26:49):
Is there anything else that people should
know about you or ethnic kidsthat maybe we didn't touch on?
Khumo Tapfumaneyi (26:56):
They should support us if they can.
You don't have to always buybooks if you're not a parent,
but if you buy for your nieces,buy for your nephews.
We need to really keep theindustry alive.
We need to support our authors.
It takes us basically, it's notgoing to be.
There's no one coming to saveus, as they say, and we need to
show that this is viable.
(27:16):
So please do support us whereyou can.
They make excellent gifts.
Kutloano Skosana (27:20):
Yes, I love that, and that is all from me
this time around.
This is the last episode of theseason and new episodes will be
coming at you after theNorthern Summer.
I hope you enjoyed thisconversation as much as I did
and if you liked it or you thinksomeone else might enjoy it,
please spread the love bysharing.
If you'd like to stay in touchand expand on the topics covered
(27:42):
in this and other episodes,subscribe to the community
newsletter.
You'll find a link in the shownotes.
Thank you for listening and foryour ongoing support.
I'm Guttmanusko, sana Ritchie,and until next time, please do
take good care.
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