Edmonton book puts Malawian girls in spotlight

By Vickie Laliotis

EDMONTON — There’s no telling when inspiration will strike, but for Roberta Laurie, an Edmonton writer, publisher and teacher, it came from a stack of stories handwritten by a group of Malawian girls.

In Their Own Words: The Girls of Atsikana Pa Ulendo Tell Their Stories is a book that stemmed from Laurie’s 2009 trip to Malawi, a country in southeast Africa, where she spent considerable time at the local secondary school for girls.

What began as a simple writing exercise quickly turned into a passion project, which led Laurie, a Grant MacEwan professional writing instructor, into an eight-month journey of editing and compiling the stories submitted by the students.

“The more I read their stories, the more I was overwhelmed by what a gift they were to us,” Laurie said. “It was a really unique perspective into the lives of these girls, and I felt as though it was worth sharing.”

Malawi is a country wracked by poverty, famine and severe inequality, particularly between the sexes. Females are typically married off at an extremely young age, leaving them with no independence, education or control of their own lives, Laurie said.

“These girls are at the bottom of the totem pole, with the boys taking precedence,” said Kat Flannery, Laurie’s partner at Prairie Dog Publishing.

“They have no hope, so when these girls have the opportunity to get an education they get a chance to succeed, and that’s what we’re trying to do with this book.”

Most of the students who participated in the project recounted their stories with excitement and willingness, which Laurie credits to the African cultural tradition of storytelling.

“The stories that these girls tell are so creative and fascinating, because to them, the stories probably don’t feel remarkable since they’re just a part of daily life,” she said. “But to us, well, we don’t usually think about eating rats or climbing mango trees.”

In Their Own Words is meant to educate and create cultural awareness about the people of Malawi, as well as foster compassion on the part of the reader. The overall theme of the book is one of empowerment, with a strong focus on the importance of educating women.

“The reason why I was so passionate about doing this book was to put a human face on something we all know about,” Laurie said.

“It all comes down to awareness and compassion. If you are aware of other people’s struggles and you are compassionate to those struggles — and if you see other people as human beings with the same hopes and desires as yourself — then I think you will look for ways to make a difference in the world.”

In Their Own Words: The Girls of Atsikana Pa Ulendo Tell Their Stories is now available for purchase through Prairie Dog Publishing and select bookstores, including a book-signing event on Nov. 19 at the West Edmonton Mall. Partial proceeds from all sales will be donated to the school.