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As the youngest writer on the continent to be rewarded, Stacey Fru does not spare her efforts. In South Africa, where the education system is bankrupt, she has published several books and travels the country to deliver a message : read, write, educate.
It is in the premises of its foundation in Johannesburg that we find Stacey Fru, multi-pronged, distinguished in 2016, at the age of 9, with the National Development Agency (NDA) award in the Best Early Childhood category. Development (ECD).
The interview of an 11-year-old girl would usually take place at home or at school. Stacey already has a foundation in her name. She uses it as an amplifier to bring her message to South Africa and the rest of the continent. " The goal is not to make money with this foundation, " she says. Mainly, she distributes books to children of the continent through her campaign An African Book a Child . " We want African writers, but also private individuals, to donate books about Africa that we can distribute to children. "
Among the books distributed are, of course, Stacey Fru's three books, which she published at the age of seven. Books " inspired by experiences of my life, but with characters that I personified with animals to have a resonance in children. "
By a child, for children
His first , Smelly Cats, features two cousins in search of popularity in their school. An invitation to tolerance and " loyalty to the family ". His second, Bob and the Snake , tells the story of Bob's pet snake, which is quickly becoming a source of financial hardship for his family. " The value I wanted to communicate is to always respect your parents," says Stacey. You have to be reasonable and not to make fancies. "
Stacey does not stop there. She finds the time to write despite an overloaded schedule, between dance classes, guitar, conferences and many solicitations from South African media, intrigued by the phenomenon.
Two new books are expected this year . " I decided not to write for children anymore, but real news now," says the schoolgirl-writer. And to tackle more serious topics. In this case the issue of kidnappings in South Africa and the importance of African identity.
Like Mother like daughter
Because if Stacey was born in Johannesburg, her roots are in Cameroon. His parents are from the Anglophone North West and join South Africa in the 1990s. " There were very few books in Cameroon," recalls his mother Victorine. I remember seeing a true bookseller for the first time only when I entered my university. Since then, Victorine Mbong Shu has also signed several books, mainly on parenting.
When Stacey is 6 years old, her mother discovers a manuscript in her room. This is Smelly Cats, which the girl wrote in the biggest secrecy. It will be published a few months later and draws the attention of the South African authorities. The Ministry of Education proposes to use the book as a learning medium in schools across the country. " The kids will read it and discuss it in their English class ," says Stacey . I am proud of that because my primary goal is to advocate for a good education. "
" If I were president, education would be my priority "
South Africa needs it. The country is among the lowest in the class in terms of academic performance, ranking 75th out of the 76 OECD countries . " Reading is not important in South African schools, public or private, " says Stacey. In the rainbow nation, nearly 30% of students are unable to read correctly after six years of teaching.
The South African system is bankrupt. The inequality is clear. On one side, private schools, nicknamed "fortresses of privileges" and majority white. On the other, the public institutions, where the black majority studies in unhealthy infrastructures and with unfit teachers. In 2007, a shocking study showed that 79% of mathematics teachers in a grade 5 class were unable to solve problems with their students.
The school tour
The young Stacey seeks to restore the taste of education to disadvantaged children. She toured primary schools, high schools and even universities to tell her story. She describes herself as a motivational speaker , a speaker. " I realized my role in an intervention with 877 high school graduates, it was when I published my first book," recalls Stacey. I was eight years old and they were all much older than me. But I realized that most of them thought it was impossible to write as I did. "
" To well-born souls, value does not wait for the number of years, " wrote Corneille in Le Cid . A phrase that could apply to Stacey Fru and her passion for Shakespeare's language. His goal for 2019 is to travel to Africa and organize writing workshops for disadvantaged children. " In my next book, Tim's Answer , I want to tell Africans that everything coming from the West is not necessarily good. And we must not always compare ourselves to the people we want to look like. "
And when asked his advice to young people on the continent who want to start writing: " Do not think that your situation defines your future. Do not let anyone tell you that the sky is the limit. Because there are footprints on the moon. So, go get the stars. "