2012 Tutu Fellow Swaady Martin has published a children's book titled Malaika and the Angel. The book series is a collection of spiritual tales, suitable for children of all ages, from five onwards. For younger children, beautiful watercolor illustrations are the gateway to the stories that parents can use to their own imagination. The title character, Malaika, is a normal young girl who is open to the reality of the spiritual world. When Rafiki, her guardian angel, makes its presence known, she is bursting with questions. The stories provide a memorable trip with Rafiki, where Malaika is introduced to new experiences that will change her life forever.
The stories are illustrated in water colour by Maria Baumann, an illustrator living in Johannesburg. The books are not religious, and are accessible to people of all faiths, beliefs and philosophies. It celebrates the values that unite us all: oneness, loving boundlessly, compassion, kindness, gratitude, embracing differences, being an earthcarer and more. Along with the books, Martin has commissioned a soft doll. The title character's name, Malaika, means Angel in Swahili and is derived from the Arabic with the same meaning. The first book in the series is called Intuition and is 48 pages. The second is Being, which is 51 pages, and three more are currently in the works for release soon.
While Martin may be better known for as the founder of YSWARA a quality African teas company, reading and books have been a love of hers from childhood. She says she wrote and illustrated her first children's book at the age of six and started the Malaika series in 2005 while she was still living in Kenya. The books and soft doll can currently be obtained from three bookstores in Johannesburg - and the YSWARA tearoom - with more distribution locations to follow.
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