African colouring books

INCLUDE & CREATE was born in Luanda. This is the part of the catalogue where that shows, and it exists for a simple reason: almost no colouring book shows what these pages show.

Why this is missing from the shelves

The overwhelming majority of colouring books draw on the same visual repertoire — the same animals, the same houses, the same faces. An Angolan child can colour for years without meeting a mask, a textile or a landscape they recognise. This is not about taste: recognising yourself in the material changes your relationship with it.

What these pages bring

Masks and ritual figures, geometric textile patterns, the animals of the continent drawn without turning them into caricatures, and landscapes and symbols of Angola. The line is clean and closed, as everywhere else in the catalogue, so the challenge is the colouring and not working out what the drawing is.

Who it is for

For people who recognise themselves in these images, and equally for those who do not — an African textile pattern is a fine colour exercise for anyone, anywhere, and it opens a conversation about where what you are colouring comes from.

Books for this

• Africa in LinesAfrica in Lines
• Animals of AfricaAfrica in Lines
• Angola, My LandAfrica in Lines
• Mandalas of the WorldColouring to Relax

See all 55 books

Frequently asked questions

Are the drawings authentic or inspired?

They are original drawings inspired by real patterns, symbols and landscapes of the continent. They are not reproductions of specific artefacts.

Are they suitable for school use?

Yes, and they work well in lessons on culture and geography. For reproduction in quantity, ask permission by email.

Are there editions in other languages?

The titles exist in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. Not every edition is published on Amazon yet.

This page in other languages: Português · Français · Español