The story „This is Taiwo“ by Titilayo Farukuoye is rooted in Yoruba tradition and their relationship to their family especially to their grandma is really important. Adressing universal themes of love, culture and multilingualism, this story is of particular interest to those who want to cherish and celebrate genderqueer children and their families.
The story and illustrations for „This is Taiwo“ were created during the DRIN-Workshop and are part of the publication „In our own words – BIPOC Perspectives in children literature (2023)“.
My main focus was to convey the love, the warmth and the close connection that Taiwo and their grandmother seem to have with each other. I decided to show this closeness and the trust mainly through touch and through body language.
In the process of illustrating Taiwo, I tried to imagine Taiwo’s environment in the kindergarden, Taiwo’s clothing choices, the way they wear their hair, in order to covey their gender non-conformity. Illustrating „This is Taiwo“ touched me deeply and was great fun. Thank you Titilayo for this wonderful story!
