Christmas Arrives at Lajwahé: Blonyabe Yɛ Lajwahe

Christmas Arrives at Lajwahé is a classic African Christmas story written in captivating rhyming prose.Christmas arrives, but Lajwahé is not quite ready. How would the canna lily gardens respond? What would seamstresses do, tailors too. What are the goldsmiths up to, photo studios too? Are you ready to join the masquerades on their comical adventures? And more, awaken handyman skills in children as they build Christmas decorations unique to Ghana. And really what is Christmas all about. Let’s find out!Blonyabe yɛ Lajwahe ji Afrika nikɛɛmɔ-lala fɛo ko ni kɔɔ Blonyabaa kɛ eyeli he.Asako he ni Blonya ba pue yε Lajwahe. Ani canna lily fͻfͻi tromii baateshi aŋa lε lo? Mεni yei-anikpεlͻi baafee, hii-anikpεlͻi hu. Shikaserelͻi eka amεtoi, mfonirishãlͻi hu. Obaafata Kakamotobi shwεlͻi asãsãasͻfeemͻ lε he lo? Hã gbékɛ̃bii ajie amεwabiiaŋ kε Blonya saamͻ nibii klamͻi, Ghanabii anͻ srͻtoi komεi. Agbεnε hu, mεni hewͻ ni ayeͻ Blonya.Ba ni wͻya gblεshi kε taoͻ fɛ̃ε naa.REVIEWS"What to Expect: Christmas, Africa, African Culture, GhanaChristmas isn’t always a picture of snow, Christmas trees, and turkey dinners (orwhatever your particular holiday tradition might be). In Ghana, Christmas looks verydifferent. The sun shines brightly, and the air is hot and dry. Families celebrate withboiled rice and stewed chicken. Yet, some things are wonderfully, magically thesame: families still dress in their nicest clothes, gather to sing carols and share food,and exchange gifts, stories, and memories. Whether you live in the East or the West,Christmas is a special celebration of faith, love, and family that brings everyonetogether.Christmas Arrives at Lajwahe is a unique exploration of Ghanian culture as it relatesto the well-known festivities of Christmas. Bright, vibrant illustrations show howChristmas can look in this part of Africa and how different it is to the images familiarto Western children, but the text itself, written in rhyming prose, underscores sharedvalues and traditions. At the end of the volume, recipes, craft projects, musicalscores, Bible verses, and discussion questions invite readers to join in thecelebrations, while appendices offer a wealth of information about Christianity,Christmas, Ghanian culture, and Ghanian Christmas traditions.Reflecting the multilingual nature of the book, every line of text is offered in bothEnglish and Akan, inviting readers to grapple with and enjoy the unique flavor ofGhanaian language through translation.Christmas Arrives at Lajwahe is a distinctive book that provides readers with aninteresting take on a well-known holiday.— The Children’s Book ReviewAbout the AuthorFlora Trebi Ollennu is both a fiction and non-fiction writer. Her children’s titles include Sunbeamy series, Crackling Cans series, Shogologo Babies, My Daily Walk series and 28 Days of Homowo. Her adult titles include Unquenchable Fire and The Tourist’s Story. And she has not resisted publishing articles in both academic and literary journals. Flora Trebi-Ollennu holds a BSc (Hons) Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and a Masters in Geography from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.A Christian, she is fascinated with how the story of the Cross is transforming cultures for the good of humanity. The fascinating eloquence of good books and how they impact people and nations, giving them hope for the future, never ceases to amaze her. Flora Trebi-Ollennu lives in Beaumont, Alberta, with her husband and adult children. Read more