By- Aditi Maheshwari
Scheena Donia is playing multiple roles as an image coach, a communication consultant, a mother of four children, and a very active blogger on social media channels. She has now written a comic book. “C’est Maman qui commande” (It’s Mom who orders) has just been released in France and French-speaking African countries.
Though she lives in Paris, she remains innate to her Gabonese roots. “I wanted to write this book so that children, like me Afro-descendants, or not, also see what their daily lives are like in a comic book. The idea of representation is essential. I also wanted to honour African mothers who are often caricatured when shown on TV, in boubou, always angry… and not necessarily in their diversity. I wanted to show that there is not only one way to be a mother and a black mother. We don’t all live in the country. Sometimes we live in separate villages, which in my case with my children, but we have this common DNA, that is to say, the: mom decides, the children execute,” said Scheena Donia.
Scheena Donia, in her comic book, highlights how her Gabonese origins impacted parenting her children, the importance of education, enriching her experiences and thoughtfulness on the issue about her life in France. The book showcases a black mother as a woman of dialogue and communication. She also desires that people become more open to discussing parenting issues by reading her comic.
“To pay tribute to the cities that have supported my comic book “C’est Maman qui commande”. The idea was to organize talks on parenthood, within one city exclusively dads, in another mom, and to address together, in all honesty, all those things that we should have known before becoming parents. Hopefully, these conversations will continue in our homes and social networks,” said Donia.
She also attended a talk show organized in Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan. She reiterated, “It’s good to talk about these subjects that we don’t talk about very often and that remain taboo. We think that it is obvious for everyone that it is natural, but by discussing and sharing, we realize that we all have the same problems. I have had people write to me and say, “Mom is in charge, and who is in charge?” These are men who ask me, so I clarified to them that I did not say “It is a madam who commands” but I said “It is the mom who commands,” so she commands the people who call her mom, that is to say, the children,” said Donia.
The experience of the successful book continues for “Its mom who commands”. The book is now under translation into the English language and will soon be in bookstores in the United States, Canada, and England. The translated version will be available in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya in Africa.
Donia has used her writing skills to improve parents’ lives by supporting them in making the right choices for their kids. She raised awareness of the relevance of good parenting skills to future generations. Raising wise individuals solves many future disasters and helps strengthen the roots and safeguard traditions and culture.
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