New Perspectives on African Childhood

This is a timely book which carries a number of pertinent themes such as child marriages, child trafficking, child abuse (in its broad sense), child soldiers, and the need to revisit the notion of African childhoods more broadly. It highlights the importance of taking the experiences of African children and their role in society seriously. The book provides insight on the need to go beyond seeing children as victims, helpless, deficient, and lacking; and provides the reader with narratives that put on the spotlight the multifaceted nature of what it means to be a child in Africa; narratives of hope, love, desire, choice, belonging, resistance, togetherness, and community. The book further highlights the need to unlearn the damage caused by colonial education and relearning what it means to be African through stories, proverbs, art, literature, etc. This book on African childhoods will be a valuable resource for Psychologists, Sociologists, Gender specialists, literary scholars, and policymakers.

Prof. Puleng Segalo

Head of Office of Graduate Studies and Research, College of Human Sciences

University of South Africa, ZA