Anti-Corruption Children’s Book Jaadeh! Translated into Bassa Language

Although the Bassa language is not widely taught in Liberia, it is, however, taught at Spiritan Academy, one of Monrovia’s elite schools, which sent student and faculty representatives to the official launch of Jaadeh! at the University of Liberia on 10 May. (Photo courtesy: Front Row Media Liberia)

**The piece was originally published on Liberianobserver.com, an online version of its print edition, the Daily Observer newspaper, a product of the Liberian Observer Corporation.

Renowned Liberian academician and author Robtel Neajai Pailey has done it again. This time around with the translation of the Pan-African anti-corruption children’s book Jaadeh!into one of Liberia’s most spoken local languages, Bassa.

Released in January 2019, Jaadeh! is a dual language sequel to the critically acclaimed anti-corruption children’s book Gbagba. Both books were illustrated by Liberian visual artist Chase Walker and published by One Moore Book.

While gbagba loosely translates as trickery or corruption in Bassa, jaadeh is its opposite. And so, the eight-year-old twin main characters Sundaymah and Sundaygar encounter examples of the opposite of corruption in the second book.

In a telephone interview with the Daily Observer, Dr. Pailey explained that she commissioned Bassa prelate and linguist, Bishop Amos W. Gbaa, Sr., to translate Jaadeh! into Bassa to honor the language and to have it taught in schools in Liberia and elsewhere.

“It is sad that many Liberians do not value their local languages and the situation is getting worse with many young people unable to speak any of the country’s 16 languages—myself included”, said Dr. Pailey.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/30EG9Lt

**The piece was originally published on Liberianobserver.com, an online version of its print edition, the Daily Observer newspaper, a product of the Liberian Observer Corporation.