Sheila Kalusumu is a Ugandan-Swedish children‘s author, storyteller and advocate for inclusive children‘s literature, based in Stockholm, Sweden. She is guided by the belief that every child deserves to feel seen, valued and reflected in the stories they encounter. Through her stories, she encourages conversations about identity, belonging, racism and empathy, inviting young readers to embrace who they are while approaching differences with curiosity, kindness and understanding. Her latest children‘s novel, Inte som ni (Not Like You), explores identity, friendship, belonging and racism. She is also the author of Enyimba z‘abato (Children‘s Songs), a collection of children‘s songs in Luganda, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda. Our international Fe.
Tapiwa Muchechemera has been the General Manager of Mkuki na Nyota Publishers Ltd since 2008 and a Director since 2020. He has been part of the core team and helped transform the publisher into a strategic powerhouse, cementing its reputation as a leading voice in East African publishing.
Maria Fröhlich is an illustrator, author, and comic book artist. She has written and illustrated the Ruby books, with the first part, Ruby & Lion, published in 2021. Maria is a member of the Swedish Academy for Children‘s Books and a professional representative on the subject council at Konstfack, Sweden‘s largest university for arts, crafts and design, where she is also a guest lecturer. Since 2024, she has been a jury member of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA), the world’s largest award for children’s and young adult literature.