ANU supports publication of new fiction in Aboriginal Kriol

ANU has supported the publication of nine new children's fiction books in the Aboriginal language, Kriol, written and illustrated by Indigenous women from the remote Binjari community near Katherine in the Northern Territory. One of the books, Moli det Bigibigi ( Molly the Pig) , will be showcased at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy at the end of this month. While researching the use of Kriol in Binjari for her PhD, linguistics scholar Denise Angelo from ANU helped the local women to write and illustrate the stories. "Not only is it the first time community-written stories in Kriol have appeared in print, it's also the first time an Aboriginal Kriol book has appeared on the international stage," said Ms Angelo from the ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics. Moli det Bigibigi  ( Molly the Pig)  was written by Karen Manbulloo and is based on a real-life pet pig in the community which loves eating Weet-Bix. Ms Angelo said the stories have been a big hit with school children. "When the Binjari women authors did some readings in the schools in Katherine, the Kriol-speaking children were instantly engaged, It was probably the first time they'd heard their vernacular used by an adult up the front of a classroom," said Ms Angelo.