The Art of Storytelling
by Pilani Bubu September 25, 2020
The Folklore (For Kids*) community partners with the Yellow Hat Publishers to fundraise toward a children's project that seeks to adapt the Yellow Hat published books into a play.
A play for kids by the kids from, with children from all walks of life, expressing the elements in the books through the theatrical imagination of a children: from costume, dance, song, script and more. Starting with the Yellow Hat's first published illustrated children's book titled Tullula. The book was written by Refilwe Moahloli and illustrated by Simon Mahlo, telling the story of a majestic bird born into royalty - "the Ndunas of the herd"
This thespian exploration and interaction with the children will also go beyond the text to involving our elders in an intergeneration dialogue to pass on stories from one generation to the next.
With a shared vision around 'The Art of Storytelling' - we launch our initiative on the 26th of September during the Folklore (For Kids*) Heritage Picnic. Yellow Hat Publishers will donating books for auction to fundraise for this thespian initiative.
Being a nduna means having to guard the skies at night (although it’s not entirely clear what the ndunas are guarding against). Tullula longs for something different, so she sneaks off during the day (while the rest of the ndunas are sleeping) to explore what life is like living in sunlight.
Includes a bonus CD featuring the Tullula song and a reading of the story by the author.
The beautiful hand-embroidered illustrations in this edition are the work of Simon Mahlo who is based in rural Limpopo – where he collaborates with women in his community to produce the embroidery. Read more...
For more information on getting a copy of this limited collectors edition with hand-embroidered pages, email info@yellowhat.co.za.
This limited edition of Tullula has an hand-embroidered cover with printed illustrations on the pages.
This special edition has a limited number of copies available.
To get more information on getting your own copy, email info@yellowhat.co.za.
Abena-Saah Mophatlane was born in Ghana to a South African mother and a Ghanaian father; Hers
is a truly African heritage, her exposure to different cultures and ethnicities gives her an
advantage in identifying talent with a widespread
appeal. One such identification led to the creation of Tullula. She first came across Simon Mahlo’s
hand-embroidered work through a cushion that was sold to her. She was immediately impressed with the
quality of work and felt she needed
to meet the artist behind it. Therein started the relationship with Simon Mahlo. After meeting with
him she had the idea to do a children’s book with hand-embroidered illustrations, and so
Tullula was born.
Refiloe Moahloli is originally from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A commerce graduate who spent the early part of her career navigating the dynamic corporate world, she decided to pursue her passion for writing after an eye-opening assignment to Mumbai, India. She is the bestselling author of How Many Ways Can You Say Hello?, published in 2017 by Penguin Random House. As an aunt to many nieces and nephews who consider her ‘one of them’, they inspire a multitude of stories that are constantly swimming in her head, waiting to be penned and made alive.
Simon Mahlo grew up in Morapalala, Limpopo, South Africa. When he was younger he would get into trouble with his teachers for drawing on almost anything he could find. His love for drawing never wavered – he now has his own company Mahlo Arts and Design, where he collaborates with women in rural Limpopo to create hand-embroidered, home-decor products. Hand-embroidery is a skill that has been passed down through generations in his family. Tullula the Bird, Nduna of the Herd is his debut children’s book.