Zeinixx
by Theresa Marrama
Though it is a story that involves art, it is not typical in any way... After growing up in Senegal, Zeinixx decides that street art is her calling. As an artist, she finds a sense of peace in large-scale painting - graffiti. So, she decides to take on a new journey, a new lifestyle for herself that will allow her to express herself in a way that is empowering to women, practice her art, and be part of another community. Her story is one of strength, empowerment and the will to follow your heart. Senegal's first female graffiti artist, Zeinixx, defies gender stereotypes as one of the top graffiti artists in West Africa. Zeinixx uses both graffiti and slam poetry for social good and is passionate about promoting the rights of women and girls in Senegal.
Published: 2021
Originally written in French
Number of pages: 83
Recommended FSL Programs and Grades
Grade 9 (Core French)
Race/Ethnic/Geographic Information
Author: Author is white but wrote it in conjunction with Zeinixx as a biographical story.
Characters: Senegalese
Setting: Senegal
Notes from a teacher-reader
Book is about the first female graffiti artist in Senegal
Based on a young girl with a passion for graffiti (what are murals? What does street art look like?) → practiced describing it and looking at different art forms
Integrated information about hip hop artists who are often referenced in the street art, listened to music as well.
Field trip to graffiti alley downtown Toronto
Shamsia Hassani (first Afghan graffiti artist) -> political activist: could be a lesson of itself on why she does what she does
Very accessible for grade 9’s
Start off by getting students to talk about WHAT IS ART?
Book cover talk - make connections with real life experiences
Map talk - open google maps and talk about Senegal (see https://twitter.com/AfroFranco2 for an explanation of a "map talk"
Read chapters and doing a Write and Discuss : teacher and student co-create summary of chapter to make sure they understood all the points
Take segways into information from the book, for example, Oumou Sangaré who is a Senegalese singer, explore the instruments she uses, etc.
Segways into: music, instruments, religion, neighbourhoods / housing, schooling, etc.
Try to make connections between the authors/characters’ lives and the students’ lives
Learning cycle takes about 11 classes (1 class per chapter + 2 classes for chapter 5). A total of about 4-5 weeks.
You can contact the author and she has a teacher’s guide for purchase on her website
Book includes a glossary of important words. A1 language level
Elodie Channa is sharing information about the Zeinixx on her Instagram: https://instagram.com/comprehensibleinputon
Feel free to contact the teacher-reader, Élodie Channa at efernandes@gmail.com or Mandy Treichel at mandy.treichel@peelsb.com if you have questions about this novel.