Q&A With Sharmane Barrett, Co-Creator of 'Our World, My Roots'

By Sharmane Barrett | Author Q&A

Sharmane Barrett and Anna Makanda, along with illustrator Natalia Abello, have created a series of books called 'Our World, My Roots', with the aim of inspiring children to learn more about their own roots as well as different cultures around the world. Sharmane has kindly answered our questions about how they came to create this wonderful collection of books.

1. How long have you known each other?

Anna and I have known each other since we started secondary school at 11 years old! We’ve been close friends for over 20 years.

2.  What inspired you to create the "Our World My Roots" series?

In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, we were both having a conversation about how deeply saddened we felt about what was happening in the world and how we both felt that we needed to contribute to being a part of the solution. We wanted to approach the conversation from a different lens, and Anna reminded me of an idea she had a number of years prior.

Together we decided that the timing was very right for these books and so we decided to focus our efforts on how best to shape the hearts and minds of future generations. Our goal is to share knowledge that will encourage children to have a stronger appreciation of the richness of not just their own country of heritage, but other cultures, languages and traditions.

 3.      Can you share a bit about your own backgrounds and how they influenced the creation of these books?

My heritage is mixed Jamaican, Trinidadian, English and Anna is mixed Zimbabwean, Scottish. Being of mixed heritage, we both shared the sentiment of feeling disconnected to our respective countries of heritage. This is one of the key things driving the reason why we created OWMR.

The idea for the creation of the books was born when Anna had her first child. At the time, she tried to find books that would teach her daughter about her rich heritage; but she quickly noticed that there was a distinct lack thereof. There were no non-fiction books written about specific countries for children that would educate and celebrate individual cultures and traditions. She knew that one day she wanted to write these books, and the pandemic proved to be the right time for us to do that.

 4.      What do you hope children will gain from reading your books?

Children are naturally curious. I hope that by reading our books it will not only increase their knowledge and broaden their understanding, but that what they learn will shape the way they relate to the world around them. Above all I hope that children will learn to lead with kindness, and be confident in embracing not just their own differences, but the differences in others around them.

 5.      What has been the most rewarding aspect of creating and sharing "Our World My Roots"?

The most rewarding aspect of creating and sharing Our World My Roots has been seeing how well received it has been. It has been amazing to know that we have created something that is having a real impact; and hearing about how meaningful our books are to our readers is confirmation that we are building something special. Something that is often overlooked, but so necessary.

We receive requests almost daily for new titles; which is reminder that there is A LOT of work to do.

 6.      What advice would you give to parents and teachers who want to cultivate a more inclusive environment for children?

I would say the first thing is that they are never too young to start having the conversations. Children see and hear so much, and questions will naturally arise from an early age. I think that parents and teachers should remember that if they do not answer the questions, those questions don’t go away. Their children may go to another source for the answer, or perhaps even use their creative minds to come up with their own answer. This means that there has been a missed opportunity to shape the development of their thoughts on this very important topic.

It is also so important for anyone who has a little person in their life to create a safe space for them to be confident about their differences; as well as embracing of others who are different to them. 

 7.      Are there any countries you would love to visit to learn more about their culture?

Where do I start?! I love to travel and so there are many countries that I want to travel to, starting with Tanzania and other countries in East Africa. I am also very interested in travelling to Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Chile and Fiji. Is it ambitious to think I’ll fit them all into my travel plans over the next 10 years?!

 8.      Do you have plans to add more books to the series?

Absolutely! We have two titles in the works which will be published in December this year (I can’t share those titles just yet!). The plan is to eventually have a title for every country in the world.

 9.      Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about your mission?

Our mission is to help ignite a child’s interest in their roots and empower them to become culturally confident. It may take us a while to get to our goal but we are very excited to be adding new titles to the collection; providing increased resources for children to learn more about people of the world, countries and cultures.

 10.  Where can our readers find your books and follow your latest updates?

You can find our books via our website www.ourworldmyroots.com. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for upcoming updates @ourworldmyroots