Hello dear readers,
I am always happy to share my discoveries with you. This time, it is an adventure novel entitled "LA PETITE YAMI L'afropéenne". This children's book tells the story of a young girl, Yami, who identifies with this very original neologism of Afropéenne.
Who is Yami?
Yami is an Afro-European child with two skin colors, two ways of living daily life and different relationships with others. These are not insurmountable differences, but they fit well into this child's thinking and make her an endearing character, having found where and how to draw her personal fulfillment.
This book is for everyone, but especially for families whose children come from different socio-cultural backgrounds and who sometimes seek an identity. For them, the question of “Who am I?” can be the quest of their entire future life. Reading Yami is not just diving into a childish world, it is deeper. Don’t they say that the truth comes from the mouths of children?
Yami describes his world with the enthusiasm that is the primary characteristic of fulfilled children, unconcerned about the hustle and bustle of adults.
Without embellishment, she tells us her story, the origins of her Gabonese mother and her French father. This mixed race does not disturb her, on the contrary, she is rather comfortable with the fact that she has a typically African name and that she is proud to belong to a large family on her mother's side. And she is just as proud to belong to this large Burgundian family on her father's side.
This crossbreeding does not bother her in any way, does not question her. She enjoys eating her mother's cassava leaves as much as her father's risotto. She identifies as much with the fantastic stories of her Gabon as with those of her France.
For a child, this extremely realistic look is striking and admirable. She quickly understood that she is somewhere different, apart. She appropriates both cultures as if she lived on both continents, without any break. There is no assimilation, no integration. She is herself, fragmented, but whole at the same time.
This mixture gives him a fulfillment and a balance which make perfect sense and give real meaning to his life as a child and, we believe, as an adult.
In this adventure novel, mixed race is not limited to skin color alone. It goes much further. Unfortunately, and sometimes unconsciously, many mixed race children have not known or been able to find this balance of being between two chairs and that they must find the best position to avoid falling, in order to be future accomplished men and women, comfortable in their body and mind.
It is a real balancing act. The instructions are not always applicable from one child to another. Here, the family is really in the front row. It is the one that sets the pace, its role is immensely determining. However, some parents are unaware of this. They do not know what is the best education for mixed race. How to ensure that one culture does not take precedence over the other when you are not yourself mixed race? How to teach it? How to remove all doubt, avoid all confusion if one of the parents wants to compare what is incomparable: culture. It is like cutting a child in two. Is it feasible?
Self-denial and/or self-quest is/are the struggle of the mixed-race child who would just like to be like everyone else but who is too often asked by society to choose which heritage he prefers. Which part of him is the best, the most admirable?
You know, what I liked about this book is the innocence and confidence of Yami who doesn't let his life and thoughts be dictated to him, and who is lucky enough to grow up with parents who are "educated" about the issue of mixed race.
It is essential to educate children from a young age about the importance of diversity and tolerance. It is a good open-mindedness and a guarantee of a successful personal and inner life. It is developing a self-confidence that is difficult to measure.
As I was reading this story, I put myself in the shoes of this child, so mature for her age. And yet, as I write to you, I imagine Yami's voice, who, with his words, is explaining to his classmates that the advantages of belonging to two cultures are no less funny than those of a child from parents of the same culture. We feel loved in the same way, we feel desired in the same way, we feel surrounded, we are punished, scolded when we do stupid things.
I hope this reading choice will make you want to rush out and buy this novel. There aren't many Yami who speak and show us that life when you come from two worlds is an undeniable and precious enrichment. That's the main thing. The rest is just lies.
See you soon!
This book is available at FNAC and on AMAZON, if you don't have any gift ideas yet, it could easily slip into your wish list.
Subscribe: YAMI (@la_petite_yami)
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