Athman Amran
Personal Information
Description
Athman Amran was born in Mombasa and is currently living in Nairobi. He is currently working as a journalist with the Standard newspapers. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, majoring in Human Behaviour at the United States International University (USIU) - Africa, in Nairobi. He has written six books: Hapo Kale (Swahili for Once Upon a Time), Stories of Nature, Little Heroes and Little Heroines, a Big Struggle (all with Oxford University Press) and Kobole's Misfortunes (East African Educational Publishers). He has published a book, Tunda La Kheri ( translation from an English book for children) with Bilal Muslim Mission, Kenya. He has written over 50 scripts for Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC)'s weekly Swahili radio drama, Mchezo wa Wiki (Play of the Week) when he was in college at the USIU-A, between 1983 and 1988. He has contributed over 15 Children story series for The Standard on Sunday and in the Kenyan newspaper and magazine scene since 1992, which include Kobole's Misfortunes, the Zimbo Series, Zanga's Dreamworld, Zanga's Strange Awakening, Happalapa and currently Shankala, which is has been continuing for the past one month. He is a pioneer in writing the children series in the Standard on Sunday and in the Kenyan newspaper and magazine scene and has written more children series as an individual in a newspaper at a sustained long time than any other children's author in Kenya and probably in Africa. His happiness is to make children enjoy reading his stories, learn from them and get entertained. His email contact is: athmanamran@yahoo.com.
Books
Hapo Kale - Hadithi Kwa Shule Za Msingi
Hapo Kale, which is Swahili for Once Upon A Time comprises stories for school-going children. It comprises stories about different kind of animals, birds and fish. Stories include how the owl, once beautiful and treasured by kings and queens fell from grace due to pride; what made the bush-baby become a useless noisy drunk; why the hen cannot fly; what made the monkey look funny; what made the cat become domesticated and like being around the kitchen; what made the donkey become a beast of burden; what made the giraffe have a long neck, the tale of the dove and the hen; what made the cat and mouse become enemies; why the bat became a night animal that clings to trees upside down; how the chameleon became the master of its environment, the enmity between man and mosquito, the spider and the big lizard, what made the octopus have tentacles and how the rhino got a face with one horn. The stories are entertaining and have many lessons for readers.
Kobole's Misfortunes
The book centres on a boy, Kobole who feels so lazy to wake up one morning so his father decides not to give him a lift to school. As a result Kobole is late for school and gets punished for that. But Kobole has come under the influence of Jimmy Hatari who does not take his education seriously. When he persuades Kobole to desert school and accompany him to town what misfortunes are to follow?
Little Heroes, Little Heroines
This is a story about Daud, a boy who works hard and excels in class; Jacob, a bully boy who is lazy and wants to get things the easy way, but ends up getting into trouble and Sofia, who is misled but later learns through her mistakes. The book teaches that it is best to be honest at all times, that it is through hard work that we can be rewarded and that children should help their parents.