Arts-Theater
Barbara Solomon: Role Model for Our Time
Young People Discover their Beauty Through Her Books
Barbara Solomon, founder of Adzua Art Associates and author of the Princess Kamala series, has for several years dedicated her work to creating animated children’s books that offer enjoyable storylines and share valuable and empowering lessons from precolonial Africa.
As a former dance teacher at Manhattan Community College, Barbara cultivated her love for artistic expression and telling descriptive stories. Recognizing the limited and often stereotypical depictions of Black people across the diaspora, she decided to counter those narratives by providing more accurate explanations of who Africa’s descendants truly are. “The Africa I present is not filtered through someone else’s lenses. We need to teach our children who they are. Pop culture is not going to do it.”
Ms. Solomon has self-published several books. While stories like ‘The Frog Who Could Not Jump’ were inspired by her grandchildren, another ‘Princess Kamala and The Lost Boy’ is dedicated to Trayvon Martin. Still, ‘Princess Kamala and The Attack of King Timaeus’ was dedicated to President Barack Obama. These Christian-themed fiction tales range from lessons on anger management and conflict resolution to leadership, family and relationships. These books are for youth ages 5-21. For more information, visit: www.adzuaarts.com