Moyenda’s Village — Publishing Nora’s Kwanzaa tale

Nora Blakely is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE VIDEO.
Thank you for your interest. Here’s more good news! You’re not supporting a far-off dream. If you become a member of Moyenda’s Village your support goes directly to making Moyenda and The Golden Heart a physical reality.

Here are the basics. Whether you currently celebrate Kwanzaa or not, Moyenda and The Golden Heart is a warm and friendly original folktale about a young boy on a journey who learns something about himself on his way to making things better for his friends and family.

The $5000 goal of this campaign will cover layout and illustrations, printing costs, e-book conversion, marketing, shipping and more. The seven months of the campaign correspond with the seven principles of Kwanzaa with detailed information on each principle (more about this later!). You’ll learn ways to incorporate them into daily life and discover exciting activities for young ones and older ones, too.

If you’re ready to support this great project please click the DONATE button now and spread the word! Thank you!

If you want to know more, the details below are for you. Just dive in anywhere.

I CAN DO THIS BECAUSE . . .
1️⃣ I’ve been writing for young people for a long time. My primary focus as a writer for years was as a playwright for young audiences. Many of my plays reflect my love of folklore. Some of my plays started as stories which I later expanded into full musical productions. Moyenda and the Golden Heart is one of those stories. Now I’m returning to the original work to create a beautiful picture book with Afrocentric illustrations.

2️⃣ I’m working with an incredible artist. The memorable imagery from the musical’s flyer was created by Bryant Smith. With this new project he is expanding on the poster’s art. His captivating illustrations of African people, patterns, settings, plants and animals will delight our readers, and encourage discussion and further exploration.

3️⃣ I have experience in crowdfunding. In my other persona I am President of Brooks Permissions, the company which licenses and promotes the work of my mother, Gwendolyn Brooks. We raised money through crowdsourcing to publish the first two issues of an illustrated poetry series, Graphic Gwendolyn, which features my mother’s work in a comic book format. (https://www.gwendolynbrooks.net/graphicgwendolyn )

4️⃣ I am deeply committed. I want to expand the visibility of Kwanzaa and promote its values and principles. They are principles we need now more than ever. I believe Kwanzaa will get more attention as this growing collection of books, music, crafts and other lore is associated with it. This is my contribution to that goal. If we substantially exceed our funding goal, a “storical” (a recording of an expanded version of the story with music from the production) will follow with an accompanying activity guide.

YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!
Representation is crucial. Is it important for young Black children to see echoes of themselves? ABSOLUTELY. When you see it, you can be it. But it’s also important for other people of any age, gender identification, ethnicity or geographic location to see Black people and Black cultures as we truly are in all our wondrous variety.

That’s why this book is for—
• A young Black child who is excited about a Black holiday.
• An Asian, Latinx/Hispanic, White or Native American child
who can’t get to sleep without a story.
• Black parents who want more cultural representation in
the stories they share with their children.
• Parents from other cultures who understand their children
need to have a broader vision of the world.
• Adults who aren’t bound by modern day limitations of
viewing folktales as something only for children and
appreciate a good story wherever they find it.
• People who face literacy challenges but are drawn in by the
intriguing art and stay to read the words.
• An adoptee who finds comfort and confidence in the story
of a young child found alone and the love shown to Moyenda
by family and villagers alike.
• Teachers and group leaders who know the value of reading
a story to students who wait for each page to turn so they
can find out what happens next.
• Aunts, uncles, grandparents and godparents who would like
to curl up on a sofa with children and share a story on a cold
Kwanzaa night.

KWANZAA IS IMPORTANT!
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday, celebrated from December 26 through January 1st. It was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, and was designed to be relevant to, and reflective of, the Black community. Kwanzaa's traditions come from all parts of Africa and incorporates contemporary Black experiences in America. Kwanzaa is a time to honor the past, contemplate the present, and devise the future. Each of the seven days corresponds with one of seven principles, emphasizing personal identity, family, tradition and the importance of community.

I have included the English and Swahili translations of each principle below, along with a brief explanation of how it will be connected to the campaign. More details will be included in updates as the project progresses.

APRIL
Umoja (Unity)
It’s the beginning of the project. We celebrate coming together to bring a book into the world that will not only share Moyenda’s journey but expand awareness of Kwanzaa exponentially.

MAY
Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
Representation and cultural celebration are acts of self-determination. It is important to pass that on. This month we ask our Villagers to share examples from young children on ways they choose to self-determine.

JUNE
Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility)
We are family. Tell us about the people and organizations you know who are coming together to make Black lives better and we’ll share their stories with the world.

JULY
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
Black businesses are the lifeblood of a community. In honor of Moyenda’s journey we’ll promote companies that offer African-influenced products or programming: events, books, cookbooks, crafts, music, and more. (And in the spirit of cooperation we hope they’ll do the same!)

AUGUST
Nia (Purpose)
We are doing it! This is the month the book goes to the printer! The e-book is in development. Pre-orders will be available.

SEPTEMBER
Kuumba (Creativity)
Creating is what it’s all about. You’ll see new sample pages from the book. Moyenda-related prints and products will also be available. Music from the original musical will be heard on our site.

OCTOBER
Imani (Faith)
We’ve come this far because we, as a village, believed we could and acted on that belief. And now we celebrate where our faith has brought us. The book is out! Available for purchase at bookstores, on Amazon and other sites and, of course, on the FlyingColorsUnlimited.com website. And there will be a book party! Virtual, hybrid or in real life as the times dictate.

H A R A M B E E ! We have done it together!

JOIN THE VILLAGE!

It’s easy! Anyone who contributes to this campaign is a member of Moyenda’s Village. No contribution is too small. After all, if 100 people each gave one dollar we would be $100 closer to our goal! And if each of those 100 people gave five dollars…
Well, you see where I’m going with this.

As Villagers there are many ways you can help spread the word.
• Share! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, online groups and
influencers, just to name a few.
• Email this link to friends and organizations who celebrate
Kwanzaa or are interested in pan-African cultures, in general.
• In August, pre-order a book (or books!) for your home, school,
library or community center.
Do you have other ideas? We’d love to hear them!

DONATE NOW!
We can’t begin the book without you! With early donations we can start paying the illustrator, the editor, purchase ISBN numbers and many of the other behind-the-scenes details that are necessary in bringing a book to life. Make this a meaningful addition to your day!