The Cape Town Museum of Childhood celebrated International Childrens Book Day last Thursday
April 2 by interviewing actress Bianca Flanders about a children’s book she published.
Ms Flanders, of Walmer Estate, has appeared on stage in various productions, including Happy New Year, The Demon Bride, Blood Brothers and Krotoa.
Her book, Pumpkin Finds Her Queen, published in November last year, is about a young girl who at first is unhappy with her natural, curly hair but later comes to love it.
Ms Flanders said she had wanted to write a book that she never had as a child.
“Hair has always been a struggle, and it took me a while to learn to love my curls, and I thought if I could write the book that would save little kids the struggle that I had to go through, then I would’ve done something good.”
Ms Flanders was meant to have read her book to a small group of pupils at the museum in Rondebosch but those plans had to change because of the Covid-19 lockdown.
So the museum’s Chanel Fredericks pitched the idea of using Instagram Live to Ms Flanders.
“She was excited for us to make it happen,” said Ms Fredericks, who did the interview through her laptop, from her Crawford home.
The museum’s Instagram followers tuned in to watch and participate in the interview.
The museum – a flagship project of the Centre for Early Childhood Development in Claremont – is a repository for the heritage, documentation, memory, oral history, research, and interpretation of childhood.
“The museum recognises that each child is different, and aims to celebrate diversity and encourage children to embrace their differences that make them unique,” Ms Fredericks said.
You can follow the museum on Instagram @ctchildhood to view and participate in their live videos. Or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CTchildhood or on Twitter @Ctchildhood and by visiting www.museumofchildhood.org.za