About The Author.
Hi, I’m Candida Mosoma an award-winning musical theatre actress, Afrocentric children’s author, and founder of Mbilu Tales, a storytelling brand rooted in love, heritage, and joy.
Why I Write
My writing journey began with a simple but powerful need: to create a world where little girls like me could see heroines who looked like them.
For decades, children’s media rarely gave Black girls the spotlight. Between 1985 and 1998, there were no animated shows led by Black girls. When they finally appeared, most were African American, not African. In nearly forty years, only two shows have been led by African girl heroines — Bino & Fino and Super Sema.
Books have not done much better. While Afrocentric picture books have started to bloom in recent years. Tsonga heroines, girls rooted in my own culture are almost nonexistent in children’s literature. The stories that do exist are often hidden in classrooms or small literacy programs, never reaching the global stage.
That silence lit the fire for my debut picture book, Khanyi and the Kite. Khanyi is bold, bright, and beautiful! An Afrocentric heroine who carries the rhythms of Tsonga heritage into the hands of children everywhere. The story came alive when my cousin read it to her daughter, who lit up at hearing the word “Kokwani.” She ran to tell her nanny, “My Kokwani is in the book!” That joy reminded me why representation matters.
By opening my publishing house in the UK with a Tsonga name Mbilu Tales (“Mbilu” means heart). I may well be where I need to be to shine the spotlight on Afrocentric Tsonga storytelling. My hope is that Khanyi will be the first of many heroines to carry the richness of African heritage into the imaginations of children everywhere, reminding them that their stories, their languages, and their dreams belong on the world’s stage.
Heritage & Inspiration
Through Mbilu Tales, I share the rhythms and wisdom of my heritage with children everywhere. My characters Khanyi, her pug Momo, and Kokwani are inspired by my family. My sister, my late pug Banzai, and my parents. They showed me that dreams are the seeds of reality and that I should never give up. I would not be this far without them.
My Mission
My mission is to ensure that every child, especially African children, sees themselves reflected as bold, bright, and beautiful in literature.
Right now, Khanyi lives in the pages of books. But she has great potential to grow into animation, so that one day, African children around the world will see a heroine who looks like them leading her own adventures.
When I am not writing, you’ll find me performing on stage, sharing stories with schools and communities, or at my desk weaving new adventures for Khanyi and Momo.
📚 Featured works:
- Khanyi And The Kite
- Khanyi On Safari