Together with a rich story telling heritage, African culture is full of interesting and insightful proverbs that serve to teach children the universal values of respect, compassion and team work.

Colour Africa, a division of Design for Development, created the Colour Africa Proverbs colouring book. The book is filled with illustrations that depict proverbs from all over the continent.

Illustrator Roulé le Roux did the illustrations for each of the 10 proverbs. The proverbs appear in their original language alongside each illustration, together with an English translation of the specific cultural wisdom.

Le Roux’s lively hand-drawn typography is also a great way to learn about letter shapes. At the back of the book each proverb is explained in detail, while a game in the middle of the book uses the themes of the proverbs in a fun and interactive way.

Says Design for Development: “We wanted to create a colouring book with local content and meaningful messages, a book that feels like part of our rich culture. We also have a dream to give the books to under-resourced schools and crèches, and to trauma rooms at police stations where children might need a comforting activity.”

The Colour Africa Proverbs colouring book is available here.