Inspired by a tale told by the jamnyo women divers of the island of Jeju, Korea, to Ok-Kyung Pak, adapted for children by Pascal Montjovent and Pascal Conicella, illustrated by Helder Da Silva

The daughter of a jamnyo diver, Bada sees her mother disappear into the ocean every morning and bring back wonderful brightly coloured shells to feed her and her family. Then one day, the little girl decides to dive like her mother. She sees a shell at the bottom of the water that is brighter than the others and tries to get close to it but runs out of breath.

For children from 6 to 10. 44 pages.

French edition only.

An educational part presents the jamnyo women divers of the island of Jeju, strong women holding a key position in families and society in Jeju.

The Series

Lola is a young explorer. She never misses an opportunity to go in search of mysterious events happening in remote regions of our beautiful planet. After each of her experiences, she comes back to tell us about her discoveries.

To be published in the same series:

• Sona Lamu, petite fille intrépide du lac Lugu. Among the Na of Lijiazui in China
• Bouéré et les monstres de la forêt. Among the Yaure of Central Côte d’Ivoire

Through the adventures of its blue-haired heroine, the young goddess Tarara, the tale reveals aspects of the culture and mythology of the inhabitants of the Republic of Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands) in Micronesia. Illustrated with relevance and poetry, it encourages readers young and old to question the devastating effects of global warming that is condemning the world of Tarara and thus the Kiribati people as it struggles to preserve its identity.

This tale was inspired by the disappearing oral traditions of the Kiribati people, which have been collected and scientifically studied by the anthropologist Guigone Camus. Her research was published by the Barbier-Mueller Museum Cultural Foundation in 2014.

Author: Jean-Marie Hosatteaka Abaddan, is a journalist, writer and photographer. After having made numerous documentaries and reports for various French television programmes, he has devoted himself mainly to the written press. He worked for Le Point, Charlie Hebdo and Paris Match before moving to Jerusalem. For the past twenty years, Hosatte has criss-crossed the African continent, from Sudan to Gabon and from Egypt to South Africa.

Illustrator: Helder Da Silva is a graduate of the École des Arts Décoratifs in Geneva. He initially designed watch prototypes. Today, his freelance work includes graphic design, illustration, design, photography and cartography. For many years he has collaborated with the Barbier-Mueller Museum and Cultural Foundation, for which he has also carried out photographic fieldwork. Helder Da Silva devotes his free time to painting; to preserve the memories of his travels in Africa, Asia and South America, he produces illustrated notebooks

French edition only.

First in a series Tooksipa et le tabouret d’or is an ethno-tale based on the oral traditions of the Gan people of Burkina Faso, which are threatened with extinction. These traditions along with the mythology and the political, social and religious organization of the Gan people have been studied by the anthropologist Daniela Bognolo whose survey was published by the Fondation culturelle Musée Barbier-Mueller in 2010. Let us remind you that the Foundation aims at backing financially the anthropological surveys of little-known peoples in the world. The publications of these surveys bear witness to the believes, traditions and lifestyles of communities which are fast disappearing due to social and economic developments as well as climate changes.

Abaddan, the ethno-tale’s author, drew his inspiration from the survey carried out by Dr Daniela Bognolo to tell the story of Tooksipa, a boy who is grappling with some aspects of his community traditions to become an adult.
The expressive drawings by Helder Da Silva liven up the tale shrouding some of its parts in a dramatic atmosphere and others in a cheerful one, never departing from a benevolent touch denoting a deep understanding of the Gan culture.

The nature of the tale gave the author the freedom to distance himself from the scientific survey and tackle a major problem in Africa: the persecution of albinos. Unfortunately albinos in many African countries are killed due to superstition or ignorance about the skin condition that is caused by a complete lack of pigmentation. Albinos are considered as special targets for “magical” rituals.

This ethno-tale is not only a fun read but also an educative tool which encourages children and adults to be interested in other cultures and to share human and universal values.

Together with

Inspiré d’un conte kouya de Côte d’Ivoire, sur une idée de Denis Ramseyer, adapté pour les enfants par Pascal Conicella et Pascal Montjovent, illustré par Helder Da Silva.

La grande forêt aux alentours du village a disparu, et avec elle de nombreux animaux. Pour la faire renaître aussi luxuriante que du temps de ses grands-parents, le jeune Gazourou et ses amis suivent les conseils de de son grand-père. Ils s’enfoncent dans ce qui reste du Bois Sacré, à la recherche de l’Esprit de la Forêt.

Un conte plein d’espoir au cœur de la Côte d’Ivoire.

Pour les enfants de 6 à 10 ans. 44 pages.

La série

Lola est une petite aventurière qui ne rate pas une occasion de partir à la recherche d’événements mystérieux qui se sont passés dans les régions reculées de notre belle planète. À chacune de ses aventures, elle revient nous conter ses découvertes.

À paraître dans la même série :

• Bada et la Déesse Dragon. Chez les plongeuses de l’île de Jeju en Corée
• Sona Lamu, petite fille intrépide du lac Lugu. Chez les Na de Lijiazui en Chine
• Bouéré et les monstres de la forêt. Chez les Yohouré du centre de la Côte d’Ivoire