She created colouring books to help children learn about African history

CBC Quebec is highlighting people from the province's Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others and helping to shape our future. These are the 2023 Black Changemakers.

One day when Dorothée Bolade was working from home in Montreal at the start of the pandemic, she started flipping through her four-year-old daughter Moni's books.

"Her obsession was Frozen, and all the characters in Frozen," says Bolade. "She kept going on about the kingdom of Arendelle. But she doesn't actually realize she comes from a real-life kingdom."

Bolade realized there was an opportunity here to teach Moni about her Cameroonian roots. But she couldn't find much children's material about Africa — let alone Cameroon — and she knew Moni wouldn't get this education in school.

So she decided to create her own colouring book.

Bolade, who was born and raised in London, England, had visited Cameroon with her family as a child, where she had visited the royal palace and learned about the Kingdom of Bamoun.

So she dug into archives, unearthing old photos of some of those monarchs, then worked with an illustrator to create realistic portraits.

"One of the things that I was always very kind of strict on was the nose," she says. "I wanted that really to represent that African look."

The result is The Kings and One Queen of the Bamoun Kingdom, which Bolade sells online.

Each page of the colouring book depicts a different Bamoun royal, along with their name and the dates they ruled.

A real-life kingdom

"Once it was produced and my daughter had the chance to go through the book, she was absorbing all this information because of all the cognitive benefits of colouring," says Bolade.

Bolade saw Moni not only colour the book but go on to do her own research on the kingdom.

"She can now gravitate towards a kingdom that actually exists, [that] she can aim to visit one day," she says. "She can aim to find out more and be really proud about the fact that she has that lineage running through her blood."

Bolade's older brother, Charles Njindou, works in London as a child-care lawyer. He keeps Bolade's books in his office for the children who come in.

"I've found the colouring books have been a really good means of keeping the younger clients or the children of clients occupied during those meetings," he says. "It's such an accessible way to provide people with an historical background."

His own kids also have a copy of his sister's book on the Bamoun Kingdom, and he says he's often surprised by what his 11-year-old now knows about their heritage.

"And it's not just my own children that can benefit from this. Children from other backgrounds can also benefit," Njindou says. "This changes your perspective of what these places are like."

After launching that first book, Bolade published a second — this one on the Benin Bronzes — to give her daughter access to the history of her father's culture.

The books don't shy away from the fact that the casted sculptures were pillaged by Benin's colonizers and are now scattered in museums around the world.

Bolade is now looking at compiling a book that tells the story of Lydie Megouoloune, who was once married to Bolade's great-grandfather Nji Wamban and went on to become an important religious leader in Cameroon.

There is no dearth of material, she says.

"Even if I did this for the rest of my life, I would not finish bringing some of these stories that just haven't had much exposure to light," says Bolade.

"I find that motivating, interesting and challenging."

The Black Changemakers is a special series recognizing individuals who, regardless of background or industry, are driven to create a positive impact in their community. From tackling problems to showing small gestures of kindness on a daily basis, these changemakers are making a difference and inspiring others. Meet all the changemakers here.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.