Arcadia is an illustrated children's book set in Africa that seeks to introduce young readers to the environmental issues our world faces today. Set in an African village, allow yourself to get lost in Arcadia, experience the the magic found in this place at the edge of the world. This story teaches children the beauty of the natural world whilst drawing our awareness to the damage being inflicted by humans. Timone is a curious young boy who lives in Arcadia. His intrigue for the world outside the rhythm of his home life leads him to answers that change him forever. He learns about the impact of man from a vision given by mysterious spirits that tell tales of the Earth outside of Arcadia. Timone finds himself moved by the sadness of spirits when they express their mourning for the world that is being lost at the hands of man. This is a powerful story of a young boy who learns about the fragility of the world and is changed from within.
Odiri Ighamre is an African story teller, educator and facilitator. A dedicated youth worker, she has worked with children and young people for nearly thirty years. Odiri has founded three successful companies: Woman Tellers, Evwreni Productions and KORI. She is also director of The Vessel, a programme that is focused on training and supporting people from the UK. The Vessel helps to open the door to young people, especially those from the African diaspora. She now works in London teaching youth work and also co-directs `The Daughters of Africa Foundation' based in The Gambia. Odiri's personal aims involve training youth workers and young artists to work with youth and help develop work that will benefit youth and community development in Africa.
"There is so much I loved. I read it in terms of transitions- from day to night, collective to individual, innocence to experience, from the real to the spiritual/liminal- and what I like about the ending is that it makes this idea of transitioning problematic. And so the conclusion/the moral is scrambled. Doesn't fit into a simple formulation. Is left undone. Instead it resonates emotionally. And I think that is its final power. Timone's journey is not our journey. His transition is complete, his story has an ending, and ours is left open... we have searching left to do." -- Max Hepley, Boundless Magazine
