TAQA was founded by 4 friends with an intention of creating greater access to children’s books in exciting formats and in all 11 Official South African spoken Languages. TAQA’s books are in videobook format which integrates the written, illustrated, and audio components of a book to create engaging children’s stories with the intention of helping children learn how to read. Beyond this, we want to help build a world in which young African children understand their culture and history, and are proud of their heritage and themselves. We believe in the power of stories to connect people with themselves and the broader community. We believe in the power of stories as a liberating force. We believe in storytelling.
I am passionate about creating and improving access and thankfully, I get to do that through the work we do at TAQA. I studied a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town which enabled me to work as a process engineer. My skill set includes designing and optimising processes and systems, problem solving and connecting with people from various walks of life. I value people, authenticity and learning and these guide my contribution towards our vision of democratising knowledge by leveraging technology and language. When I am not working I enjoy keeping active, reading, cooking and tending to my garden.
I hold a BCom Honours in Economic Analysis of Financial Markets and an MCom candidate in Corporate Finance and Valuations at the University of Cape Town. I come from the Investments industry bringing in a Finance perspective to TAQA as a co-founder.I have a strong passion and love for language and education. The work we do at TAQA inspires us as Africans to nurture a love for our languages and ultimately our being!I also enjoy the outdoors, sweet social moments with friends and being on the tennis court!
I am a Bachelor of Social Graduate majoring in Politics and Governance, and Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. I am a co-founder and Director of TAQA, a start-up company that uses literature in indigenous African tongues to foster reading and education for young South Africans. I am an experienced leader within the South African Education sector and a proponent of innovation. Further, I am an Allan Gray Orbis foundation Fellow.My mission is to help build a prosperous Africa for all Africans. I believe in the power of art as a liberating force. In particular, I am passionate abouthow storytelling can impact African youth and how we self-identify. Beyond this, I am an avid rugby player and a lover of people
I hold a BSc.(Hons) Degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of Cape Town. Currently, I'm deeply entrenched in the construction industry, where my passion for building finds its roots. However, my enthusiasm transcends traditional construction practices. As a co-founder of TAQA (Pty) Ltd, a start-up aimed at creating and curating children’s videobooks in all South African languages, I am dedicated to fostering a love for language among young children, especially in their mother tongues.At TAQA we strive to build a profound connection with language from the grassroots level. Through our efforts, we aim to preserve and celebrate the rich tapestry of indigenous languages in South Africa. It's a privilege to contribute to this vital aspect of cultural heritage while nurturing the linguistic development of our future generations.
According to the latest PIRLS study, 81 percent of SA grade 4 learners are unable to read for meaning. We are tackling this by providing books in an engaging and exciting format that can help children learn how to read. Further, understanding that research suggests children learn best in their home languages, TAQA’s books are in 11 Official South African spoken languages.
A place where parents and children can find books written by African authors, and in all the 11 Official South African spoken languages.
To create greater representation of African languages and cultures in mainstream storytelling. It is important for African children to see themselves in the stories they read, such that their place and & belonging in this world is reinforced and contextualised.
To preserve African Languages. We believe our languages are much more than mediums of instruction. Rather, languages hold the spirit, imagination, culture, and history of a people. It is therefore critical that we take active steps to use and celebrate African home languages, to preserve and grow our languages.
We provide books in All African home languages, thus removing the language barrier faced by most African children who often have to learn a 2nd language (English or Afrikaans) before they are able to engage with stories. Similarly, the TAQA library is a digital library, thus avoiding some of the limitations of space and time, as children are able to access the books anywhere and at any time.
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