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Jodi Twum-Barima
Jodi Twum-Barima was born in Britain and is of Ghanaian descent, she lives in London with her husband, her young son and new born daughter. She attended the prestigious London coll...view moreJodi Twum-Barima was born in Britain and is of Ghanaian descent, she lives in London with her husband, her young son and new born daughter. She attended the prestigious London college of Fashion and later graduated at Kent Institute of Art & Design. After working in the Fashion industry for some years, she decided to retrain as a teacher and graduated with a PGCE in Art and Design. She is currently the Head of Art at a Secondary school where she enjoys inspiring and empowering young learners.She was inspired to write by her three-year-old son Josiah, as she saw a need to create positive stories that represented and celebrated his colour and culture. She has created the brand, JoJo and the Adinkroes to engage, inspire and empower the next generation of Leaders through books, stationary and lifestyle products. Representing and celebrating culture and heritage for children of colour.As a child, Barima was constantly surrounded by positive influences and images of her Ghanaian culture within the home. But whilst attending a predominantly white Catholic school, she noticed that African children were often depicted as being impoverished and displayed in a negative light. This caused her to feel ashamed and embarrassed and she would often deny her African heritage for fear of being ridiculed by her peers. This lack of positive representation that creates stereotypes and breeds prejudice is still evident today. With only 2% of books made in the UK featuring a Black lead character and a lack of representation in kids' products available in the mainstream, Barima set out to create a brand that will instil confidence and a sense of pride in her son and children like him. Allowing them to feel visible, important and powerful. Barima aims to use her background in Design and her knowledge as an Artist/Educator to enable young readers to feel proud of their culture and heritage whilst being immersed in the characters and stories. She understands the importance of reading and knows that instilling confidence and self-worth in children at a young age is the key to building secure, successful individuals.view less