New Afro Doll Hunadi speaks English, Sesotho, isiXhosa and isiZulu

Who knew that in 2019, we would have a special little doll named Hunadi, that speaks 4 South African languages, namely English, Sesotho, isiXhosa and isiZulu? In a country with 11 official languages, we have to speak more than one in order to communicate with the various people we meet in our daily lives. Lord knows I had to learn Zulu fast so I could get from university to downtown Johannesburg by taxi in one piece back in the day lol. Our children are no different, especially in this modern age where we can afford to send them to better schools than we were exposed to.

As a multilingual family, (I speak Setswana and hubby speaks isiZulu), I knew we had to take strides to make sure our son speaks both. And what better way is there to learn than through play. Having a bilingual child not only does wonders for their sense of cultural identity and helps create strong family and community bonds, but they also have better academic results, have heightened multitasking and analytical skills, and have diverse career opportunites in future.

Meet Hunadi, the Afro Girl

“Afro Girl’s™ objective is to inspire children’s lives through story-telling and the celebration of African uniqueness. Push her tummy & listen to Hunadi tell her story in English, SeSotho, IsiXhosa & IsiZulu. Hunadi, the first in the Afro Girl range is based on a little girl from Limpopo.” Not only does she help your little one learn, but she helps those in the community who made her. “A portion of the of the sales of the doll will go to a NPO close to Afro Girl’s heart in an aim to assist with grassroots upliftment in education. Building and discovering a home together with Hunadi, girls will be playing out their own special stories of family, friends and dreams” says Afro Girl Founder Stacey Lavinia Rethman.

How Hunadi looks

Hunadi has a cute little black afro and melanin-rich skin that speaks of her African decent. She also comes in a beautiful box that unfolds into a dollhouse so don’t throw it away, a pretty Shwe Shwe ‘phenduka’ or reversible dress and little adorable leather flip flops to match. You can see a lot of love went into making her and she doesn’t disappoint in giving all that love back, helping little girls to make memories that will last a lifetime.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Nelson Mandela

You can follow Hunadi’s story in 4 official South African languages on the website as well on www.afrogirl.co.za. This allows your little one not only to practice the words over and over but to learn to read in different languages as well. I’ve shared the benefits of reading to your little ones on a previous post here. Furthermore, if you Tell Afro Girl what you want to be when you grow up and send a pic of you, Hunadi™ & your dollhouse to info@afrogirl.co.za, you stand to win an amazing prize!

You can buy Hunadi on the website or on Takealot. Let me know what you think of this bilingual girl in the comments below. Xoxo!