children’s magazine in the former USSR devoted entirely to ecological education and the
history of life on earth. Children’s contributions and letters are included. Vokrug Sveta
[Around the World] (11+) publishes stories and articles about travels and adventures.
Yuni Tekhnik [Young Scientist] (11–17) emphasises science, astronomy and science
fiction. It publishes children’s contributions and letters.
AfricaIn Africa the high cost of publishing, especially of production and printing, caused by
the need to import most of the production equipment, printing presses and materials,
has resulted in the demise of many children’s periodicals throughout the years. New
magazines are appearing all the time, but their life spans are usually quite short.
In Botswana, Moso, a general-interest magazine, publishes children’s contributions
and competitions. Ngouvou [Hippopotamus] (8–16) is the only children’s magazine in
Congo. It is a general-interest magazine with children’s contributions and letters. In
Egypt, the general-interest magazine Sadouk El Donia (10–14) is written in Arabic and
publishes children’s contributions and letters. The two magazines in Ghana are Playpen
(7–14) and The Child (5–16). Playpen concentrates on education and also publishes
children’s contributions, whereas The Child publishes all original stories and
illustrations. In Kenya Rainbow (10–16) was started in 1976 to provide English-language
material for children. It now contains only material from local authors and illustrators.
Nigeria has three magazines: Asha (12–17) is a general-interest magazine with children’s
contributions and letters; The Junior Group Magazine (6–16) encourages children’s
contributions and is also a general-interest magazine. Binta (8–18), a general-interest
magazine, was founded two years ago.
In December 1993, Jacqueline Kergueno of Bayard Presse, France, founded a French-
language magazine called Planet Jeunes (12–18). Many contributing authors and artists
are French-speaking Africans. Planet Jeunes is distributed in all French-speaking
African countries.
In South Africa, the best general-interest magazines for young readers are T-Mag (for
teens) and Junior Bob. T-Mag has articles in English and in Afrikaans. Junior Bob (8–12)
is always built around a theme. There are separate English and Afrikaans editions,
using the same artwork. Toktokkie (7–13), excellently produced, focusing on wildlife, also
has separate English and Afrikaans editions. Skipper (6–17), with articles in both
languages, concentrates on the environment and wildlife. Youngtime (6–14) encourages
children to read, learn, and think, and includes children’s contributions. Four new
South African children’s magazines are Bright Owls, In Touch, Kids, and Learn and
Teach.
In Tanzania, Malihai (15+) is published twice a year. It focuses on nature and
environmental education, and accepts readers’ contributions and letters, while in
Zimbabwe, Action (8–16) is an environmental health magazine.
448 TYPES AND GENRES