By Staff Reporter
Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida’s children’s book, Shudu Finds Her Magic, is now available in book stores.
Published by Jacana Media, Shudu Finds Her Magic is available in six languages and includes colourful illustrations by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne.
Said Shudu: “The response and interest to the news that I had written a book has been phenomenal. I am over the moon that it is now available.”
The book, which is aimed at children aged between four and nine years of age, is inspired by Shudu’s own childhood and the bullying she experienced when she moved to a new province and a new school.
“The book was inspired by my own story, how I was bullied for about 7 years, and how in recent times there’s been a lot of bullying stories and children dying by suicide because of bullying.
I wanted a book that would basically tell the story but I also had a child psychologist assist with the writing of the book so it can be a story of hope, a story that shows that children need to speak up until they are heard,” revealed Shudu
Shudu Finds Her Magic – which retails at R95 – is available in Afrikaans (Shudu Vind Haar Sprankel), English (Shudu Finds Her Magic), Sesotho (Shudu O Sibolla Boikgetho ba hae), Venda (Shudu u wana Vhuṱolo Hawe), Xhosa (uShudu u Fumanisa ukuba UnoMlingo) and Zulu (uShudu Uthola Umlingo Wakhe).
The Miss South Africa Organisation and Jacana Media say they will make Musida’s book available to children all over Mzansi.
For every book sold, one will be donated to Childline South Africa and The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) who help children with issues like bullying and depression. Copies will also be given to literacy organisations like Biblionef which donate books to schools and libraries to help foster a love of reading.
Shudu will be giving a series of virtual school readings and will be on a countrywide tour to promote it, subject to Covid-19 restrictions.
The author has chosen her book as part of her Beauty with a Purpose project for Miss World 2021.
As the reigning Miss South Africa 2020, she will be participating in the 70th edition of the Miss World pageant to be held on December 16 at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In this courageous and beautiful book, Shudu tells the story of her upbringing: of a delightful and outgoing girl in a small village named Ha-Vhangani. She is surrounded by a loving extended family.
Things for Shudu take a turn for the worse when her mother gets a new job and they move to Mpumalanga. At her new school, Shudu is bullied by her classmates.
Read how she overcomes the bullying and sadness and grows into a girl then an adult, who has learnt to love herself.
“The one lesson I’ve learnt is that when something bad is happening to you it is important to speak to an adult that you trust about it,” said Shudu.
“This could be a parent, a family member, a teacher or an elder. Remember, being bullied is not your fault. There is nothing wrong with you. No one should have to go through what I went through.”
About Shudu
Shudufhadzo Musida was born on 18 July 1996 in the village of Ha-Masia, Limpopo. She has a BSc from the University of Pretoria and an honours degree in international relations from the University of the Witwatersrand.
She is a model and beauty pageant titleholder and was crowned Miss South Africa in 2020.
Shudu is devoted to advocating for mental health awareness and the educational and economic empowerment of children and women.