The annual Children’s Africana Book Awards (CABA) Festival takes place Friday, April 9 at 7p. The family event is virtual and free on YouTube and Facebook.

At the CABA Ceremony you will hear from luminaries such as Lupita Nyong'o who will be accepting her award for the book Sulwe, Nelson Mandela's great grandchildren - Zazi and Ziwelene; Kwei Quartey; Tochi Onyebuchi; Elizabeth Zunon; and Kwame Mbalia. Dr. Stella-Monica Mpande and 11-year-old Salaam Williams will host the event.

CABA are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children's and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S. The awards were created by Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children's materials about Africa.

The Center for African Studies at Howard University is now the institutional base for CABA. The Center is building a complete in-house collection of CABA Books, which will be available to educators, as part of the Outreach Library. All CABA content has been migrated from Africa Access to the Center's website.

CABA events, including the Awards Dinner will be organized in-person on campus in the future. The Center for African Studies (CfAS) at Howard University is a Title VI National Resource Center that supports and enhances Africa-related teaching and research.

Note:  With the support of CABA, the Port Of Harlem Gambian Education Partnership sponsors the annual Read Africa program at the Francis Gregory Library on Alabama Avenue, SE in Washington, DC. The event has been cancelled for the second year because of the pandemic.