Nadia L. Hohn
  • Home
  • About me
    • Short Bio
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Books
    • The Antiracist Kitchen
    • Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter
    • A Likkle Miss Lou
    • Malaika's Costume >
      • Le costume de Malaika
    • Malaika’s Surprise >
      • La surprise de Malaika
    • Malaika's Winter Carnival >
      • Le carnaval de Malaika
    • Sankofa Media
    • Sankofa Music
  • Teachers
    • A Likkle Miss Lou
    • 10 Ways to Teach Malaika's Costume and other books
    • Malaika's Costume STEAM Lesson
    • Malaika's Costume worksheet K to Gr 2
    • Le carnaval de Malaika
  • Kids
    • A Likkle Miss Lou
    • Carnival Peacock Headpiece
    • Malaika's Costume Carnival Bookmark
    • Malaika's Costume Colo(u)ring Page
  • Visits
  • Media
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Contact

What I Had to Write after this Tragic Event

1/30/2023

0 Comments

 
On January 29, we remember the victims of the #QuebecCitymosqueshooting.

Yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the #QuebecMosqueShooting.

My thoughts are with the families and community grieving at this time.

Below, I share my Instagram post from last year’s fifth anniversary.

At the time, in 2017, I was living in #AbuDhabi, #UnitedArabEmirates. The #UAE is a #Muslim country and 80% of its inhabitants are foreign nationals.

I am not Muslimah.

But, while there, I felt safe as both a #Black person and a #Christian. I felt safe to attend my #church weekly and visit others, meet with other #Christians to pray, and celebrate holidays. I experienced #MiddleEastern #hospitality with the dates and coffee in the entry ways of schools and hospitals.  I felt a sense of respect and freedom to practice my faith as a Christian, that I hadn't felt in Canada.  When I solo-travelled to Egypt, I saw links between the culture and things I read in the customs of Jesus and his contemporaries.  Malaika means angel in #Swahili and #Arabic.

I did a lot of writing while in the UAE— poetry, short stories, books. Ideas 💡 for a third #Malaika3 book began to percolate the year before and gelled as I looked out my window and saw an orange disk in the sky and flat desert and dusty air all around.

​When I heard about the #Quebecmosqueattack, I was devastated. I grieved for the families and #MuslimCanadians. Given that this tragedy happened in #QuebecCity where both #MalaikasWinterCarnival and #MalaikasSurprise are set, I wondered about how this event might have affected #Malaika and her family. How could it not. A mosque, like a church or any place of worship, should be a safe place.  

I imagined that some of the men killed may have been fathers.  I know that Malaika lost her biological father which I explore in Malaika, Carnival Queen.  I would imagine that she had something in common with the children who lost their fathers on January 29.

Early versions of Malaika’s Surprise included the attack along with other topics.  So big in scope for a #picturebook. I took it out and other topics to be addressed in #Malaika4 (2023). What stayed was Malayka M, a new #Somali Muslim friend for my main character who speaks #Arabic with her father.

You’ll notice the important roles of fathers in both Malaika’s Surprise and Malaika, Carnival Queen.  You'll also notice the friendship between two girls of different languages, cultures, and faiths.

The character of Malaika M. was inspired in part by Somali journalist, Hodan Nalayeh.  I met her shortly after my divorce.  She had been through one as well.  Feeling down, the sparkle she carried gave me hope that one day I would feel that way.  She even said, "We should talk" about it.  She made me feel that "everything be okay", which are the words that Malaika M. says to an anxious Malaika.

Thanks to my Beta readers and references— Rahma Rodaah,  Fartumo Kusow, SK Ali, and Rabia Khokar. The latter three were or are teachers. #MalaikasSurprise has been selected on best booklists and nominated for a @ontariolibraryassociation #BlueSpruceAward.

​#MalaikasSurprise has been selected on best booklists and nominated for a @ontariolibraryassociation #BlueSpruceAward.

There was so much that I wanted to say in this book that I had enough for two books. That second book 📚 became #MalaikaCarnivalQueen which comes out this May 2023.

May my books help readers to love one another and stand against hate.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Nadia L. Hohn

    Write or die chick.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright (c) 2015-2022 - All Rights Reserved - Nadia L. Hohn
Proudly powered by Weebly