The official launch ceremony of the English version of the children’s book Wakashio the Book, by Anita Bacha, took place today at the MOL (Mauritius) Ltd office in Coral Bay, Pointe d’Esny. This book aims to tell the story of the sinking of the MV Wakashio to children.
The book has simple illustrations and terms to help young children (5 years and above) understand the consequences and significance of this incident. The launch was attended by His Excellency Shuichiro Kawaguchi, Ambassador of Japan to Mauritius and Goro Yamashita, Director of MOL (Mauritius) Ltd.
The author, a former magistrate who worked at the District Court of Mahebourg, explains that she wrote the book to encourage Mauritian children to read and to pay tribute to the village on the south-east coast and its inhabitants, which she has carried in her heart since she worked there.
“The book brings a positive and encouraging message to young people, explaining that nature should be trusted. I personally had a bad experience at sea as a child, almost falling into the water. Since then, I have had a phobia of water and big boats. For all these reasons, the sinking of the Wakashio particularly affected me, and I wanted to spread a positive message to young people while introducing them to reading,” she says.
The book was published in French last year and was a real success. Following numerous requests for an English and Creole version of Wakashio the Book, Anita Bacha was looking for a publisher to publish her book in English. An agreement to publish 1,000 copies of the English version was reached in February this year.
Also in the framework of supporting the education of young people, 250 copies of the book will be distributed to several schools in the southern region at the initiative of MOL (Mauritius) Ltd.
