sending...This is a wonderful idea by a couple whose creations may well do more than just add to thier bank balance. Any black parent will attest to the fact that finding a doll made in their image that accurately reflects their features is not easy. Hopefully with the introduction of Rooti Dolls, by Chris and Ada Ngoforo, a Nigerian couple, living in London, things are about to change for the better. The expressions and dresses on these beautiful dolls seem staid but, their unique selling point as far as I am concerned is the fact that they are programmed to “talk”.
This is how the two entrepreneurs describe some of their lines of talking African-themed dolls.
The 12 Rooti dolls are programmed to speak in several African languages. Amongst them, there’s Nina, a “vibrant girl” with Nigerian parents, who “loves watching Nollywood” and can interact in the Nigerian languages of Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, and Ibibio; there’s Ama, a “bubbling dynamic girl” whose “dream is to be a doctor someday,” and can speak the Ghanaian languages of Twi, Ga, Ewe and Krobo; and there’s also Keza, with parents from Zimbabwe and Zambia. She “loves adventures, reading and listening to beautiful music” and can communicate in Shona, Ndebele, Bemba, and Nyanja.
You can learn more on their website: Rooti Dolls
CNN Interview of Chris and Ada Ngoforo (video)
