African Force - A collection of children´s books in Portuguese that promote greater ethnic and racial diversity

African Force - A collection of children´s books in Portuguese that promote greater ethnic and racial diversity

“African Force” promotes the social inclusion of African and Afro-descendant children growing in Portugal, by creating characters that resemble them

  • 429

    raised

    17% of 2 500€

    23 backers

  • 22/04/2020

    Expired on

  • Not funded

    This project was unable to raise the required funds

“African Force” promotes the social inclusion of African and Afro-descendant children growing in Portugal, by creating characters that resemble them

When I was a child, I always had the same dream: to read a book featuring heroes and ‘sheroes’ who looked like me. But the more I read, the more I noticed I didn´t belong.

This made me think: What are the consequences of this lack of diversity in the characters we typically find in children’s books?

As far as I can tell, children who don't see themselves portrayed begin to lose their ability to dream.

This lack of diversity in children’s books negatively impacts not just African and Afro-descendant kids growing in Portugal, but all Portuguese children. They are all missing out on a valuable opportunity to learn, in a fun and entertaining way, about racial diversity and thus grow their social competence.

To change this, I decided to create stories featuring characters with whom black children can identify, promoting their self-esteem and sense of belonging. I also believe that diverse characters and authors help to enlarge our collective mindset, discouraging the emergence of racist and supremacist beliefs.

Besides promoting greater ethnic and racial diversity in children´s books, “African Force” shares positive information about Africa as the stories  unfold.

We do so placing special emphasis on Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe, the countries of origin of the five main characters of the African Force: Nzinga, Creole, Bijagós, Macua and Cacau.

Our first book has the title “The Sun has disappeared. Did someone steal it?” and is ready for publishing.

At this point we need money to print our first copies and it is these funds that we will hopefully raise through this crowdfunding campaign.

Please be a part of this story.

We rely on your support.

Donate and share this campaign as much as you can.

Thank you!

Os personagens principais da Força Africana

About the author

Paula Cardoso was born in 1979 in the city of Beira, Mozambique, and grew up in Portugal. She has worked as a journalist for the past 17 years, having extensive writing experience for well-established print news media both in Portugal (Visão, Sol) as well as in Angola (Expansão, Agora and Novo Jornal). Paula lives in Lisbon.

Paula Cardoso, autora da Força Africana

Budget and due dates

Printing 300 copies in hardcover + VAT = 2269.38 Euros

PPL Commissions - 230.63 Euros

Publication: May 2020

Trazemos maior diversidade às leituras dos mais novos

  • A3 color poster

    Invest with
    5€ or more

    A3 color poster

    We want to liven up your walls with posters of our characters. You can either choose your favorite character or an image of the whole African Force.

    4 backers

  • Autographed copy of the "African Force" Book

    Invest with
    12€ or more

    Autographed copy of the "African Force" Book

    Ensure access to the “African Force” debut book at a discount price and with an autograph.

    9 backers

  • A3 color poster + Autographed copy of the "African Force" Book

    Invest with
    15€ or more

    A3 color poster + Autographed copy of the "African Force" Book

    Choose your poster, hang it on the wall and enjoy the reading.

    No backers yet. Be the first one!

  • Everything you get for 15€ plus a bookmark

    Invest with
    20€ or more

    Everything you get for 15€ plus a bookmark

    To improve your reading experience, we offer you a bookmark – so you won´t get lost between the lines!

    10 backers

Fri, 29/03/2024 - 15:10

22/04/2020

Campaign ended

The campaign failed to raise the total amount

Tue, 24/03/2020 - 12:51

Nunca se viveu nada assim!

Olá, apoiantes, Georgina Angélica, Sandra Henriques, Catarina Cristão, Vanessa Sanches, Mónica Gregório, Catarina Cerdeira Abreu e anónimos! Gratidão por estarem aí desse lado...

Read more

Fri, 20/03/2020 - 06:30

First five backers

We've gathered the first 5 backers. Hurray!

Campaign launched

13/03/2020

Join us so you can take a part in this campaign. Register

  • Paula Cardoso

    Nunca se viveu nada assim!

    Olá, apoiantes,
    Georgina Angélica, Sandra Henriques, Catarina Cristão, Vanessa Sanches, Mónica Gregório, Catarina Cerdeira Abreu e anónimos!
    Gratidão por estarem aí desse lado, e por terem aceitado embarcar nesta aventura da Força Africana. Como forma de agradecimento, partilhamos convosco um pedaço do início da nossa primeira história.
    Começa assim: "Há sete dias, 20 horas, 10 minutos e 11 segundos que não se fala noutra coisa em todo o mundo. (...) Nas notícias, as palavras são sempre as mesmas, como se não houvesse mais nada para contar. Até pela internet não se clica noutra coisa. Nunca se viveu nada assim!".
    O que será? Haverá aqui alguma semelhança com a realidade que estamos a enfrentar?
    No final desta história, garantimos que o Sol vai voltar a brilhar, e mais radioso do que nunca. Isto graças ao contributo de todos. Porque juntos somos mais fortes!
    Obrigada a todos!

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23 members of the PPL community
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  • 5
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