NOT even a week after being crowned Miss Universe, Zozi Tunzi was already inspiring South Africans.
Children’s author Fatima Abdullah had created a black doll line inspired by Zozi.
Although she’d been in the toy industry since 2015, Fatima told Daily Sun women like Zozi, Miriam Makeba and model Alek Wek made her want to step up her game.
She said the doll was named Akiki, which meant ruby in Swahili. “Akiki was inspired by wanting to consciously empower my daughter to grow up and embrace her African self. I’d been toying with the idea of a doll since my daughter was two,” she said. Fatima said Zozi was the perfect inspiration for the doll.
“She is her natural self and she is an intelligent girl. I chose the name Akiki because the stone is associated with nobility and confidence.”
Fatima said as a black woman, it was not easy to make it in the toy market but she was confident the doll would do well. She said women like Zozi were making it easier to sell black dolls and kids’ stories.
When asked whether she’d reached out to Zozi and her team, Fatima said she didn’t as Zozi was just an inspiration.
The dolls are R549 each and are available at www.akikidolls.com.
