Alumni Spotlight: Inspiring The Next Generation Through Storytelling

Picture this; it's the 90s, in a hall booming with loud music, full of teenage spectators going restless waiting to see fellow student models about to come on stage to show off their well thought out fashionable dresses and suits of the era. The announcer calls out a name three times, and just as everyone is about to give up on this perhaps forgetful teen, she bursts in from the main entrance and makes it to the stage in a scene reminiscent of oriental dramas of the same age!

This particular scene features IST graduate, class of 1994, Nahida Esmail, neither the first nor last time she would be lost in awe, admiring the world around her. After leaving IST then completing her BSc in Psychology Goldsmiths College, the University of London, and a Masters in Child Development with Early Childhood Education at the Institute of Education, Nahida decided to share her sense of wonder and inspire others through storytelling.

She has written numerous young-adult novels and children's books and won many awards for her writing. Four of her novels: Living in the Shade, Lesslie the City Maasai, Detectives of Shangani, and Living in the Shade - Aiming for the Summit, have received CODE’s Burt Award for African Literature. Her stories are set in and around Tanzania, often featuring young protagonists facing off against the odds and coming out on top through sheer will, adventures, and learning.

In Lessilie the City Maasai, Lessilie lives in the city. After his father passes away, he visits his village for the first time. The story follows Lessilie as he learns about his Maasai culture and heritage. Her most recent book, Karafu: A Freed Slave, set in the 1830s, it follows a teenager who is sold into slavery in Zanzibar. He struggles to make sense of the world around him while fighting for his freedom.

Aiming for the Summit, the second book in the Living in the Shade series. It tells the story of the Ivory Stars, Tanzania’s first-ever all-girls football team, the girls have albinism. The thrilling adventure story follows Tatu, the team leader, and her teammates on a quest to reach the summit of the highest peak in Africa; Mount Kilimanjaro. They are determined to show the world just how extraordinarily capable they are. 

Nahida aims to inspire Tanzanian youths to take up a culture of reading by telling stories set around Tanzania and Africa. Her novels cover historical and social issues experienced by Tanzanians. By creating protagonists with which the average teenager can relate to, she hopes to inspire them to believe in the best they can be.

Here is a free children's book by Nahida, Mdu Ntuli, and Samantha Rice. Enjoy the fox's tricks!