Meshack Asare

Originally released in 1997 by the Accra-based Sub-Saharan Publishers, and then reprinted in this American edition in 2002 by Kane/Miller, Sosu's Call was chosen as the 1999 first place winner of the UNESCO Prize for Children's & Youth's Literature in the Service of Tolerance, in the "Books for Young Children" category, and it is not difficult to see why. A poignant tale of a disabled young boy, Sosu, growing up in a small fishing village located on a narrow strip of land between ocean and lagoon, it incorporates issues of belonging and prejudice into an inspiring story about courage in the face of great danger.

Forced to remain in his compound because the villagers believe that a boy who can't walk is bad luck, Sosu is loved and well-cared for by his family, but longs to be a part of the larger community. One day, when all the adults are far from the village - the men out fishing, the women tending to their gardens - and a terrible storm floods the area, it falls to this village outcast to warn the surrounding area, and bring help to the stranded children and old people that have, like him, been left behind...

The happy conclusion to this story, in which the villagers learn that they were wrong - a boy who can't walk isn't bad luck, after all... sometimes, if he's brave of heart, he's just the person for the job! - and Sosu gets his heart's desire, in the form of a wheelchair to help him get around, and the opportunity to go to school, and be a member of the community, brought tears to my eyes. The accompanying artwork, also by Meschack Asare, sometimes had an indistinct, blurry quality to it, but still managed to convey, with its powerful sense of movement, the urgency of certain scenes, and the emotional state of its hero. Highly recommended to anyone looking for excellent children's stories addressing issues of disability and prejudice, or for children's books from (rather than just about) Africa. I just wish more of Asare's work were available, here in the states!

Addendum: I reread Meshack Asare's Sosu's Call this morning, on my commute into the city, in order to prepare for our group discussion of it in The International Children's Book Club to which I belong, and was just as moved as the first time I picked it up, despite knowing what to expect. This is definitely a book - and an author - that deserves to be better known!… (mais)