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<\/p>\n\u201cStories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can\u2019t remember who we are or why we\u2019re here.\u201d They are the words of author Sue Monk Kidd, shared by newly unveiled author Rosangela Crispino\u2019s dear friend Toni Vorenas, who helped launch Rosangela\u2019s debut children\u2019s book last week. Those words encapsulate one of the key motivations for Rosangela in what has been a labour of love, a project officially starting 14 years ago but really dating back to her Calabrian heritage across multiple generations.<\/p>\n
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It was fitting that Rosangela\u2019s debut book \u2018ALiNA PiCCOLiNA and her adventures with Zietta\u2019 was introduced by Toni, the former English teacher turned caf\u00e9 owner, as both women are so connected to their Italian heritage. \u201cIf you know Rozzi (Rosangela) you know she has always been deeply connected to her Calabrian heritage, to her culture \u2013 it was inevitable that she would do something that would capture and celebrate it,\u201d Toni said at the launch. \u201cIf you know Rozzi then you know she is a storyteller \u2013 it was inevitable that she would give her voice to her family and cultural stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
The long standing friendship between Toni and Rosangela was built on the foundation of storytelling \u2013 the tales each heard from their mothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had such admiration for these women, our matriarchs,\u201d Toni said. \u201cThrough their stories they kept their culture alive \u2013 and through their stories we inherited an intense love of our culture \u2013 and through their stories we learned the power of storytelling. I remember Rozzi saying that keeping these stories alive is our obligation to the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
And in the end, it was the next generation that inspired Rosangela to start the long road from concept to completion \u2013 her niece Alina \u2013 she is, the chief protagonist in what Rosangela plans to be a series of books.<\/p>\n
Rosangela\u2019s own experience as a child making her way in Australia has also been a huge factor. \u201cWhen I started school, I spoke Calabrese, my native Southern Italian dialect,\u201d Rosangela said. \u201cI didn\u2019t understand them, they didn\u2019t understand me. I didn\u2019t belong.\u201d But a trip a few years later with her father to Italy and meeting her Nonna Caterina struck a chord. \u201cThey understood me and I understood them \u2013 I felt that I belonged,\u201d Rosangela said and she began corresponding with her Nonna regularly. \u201cThe passion for my Italian heritage was born.\u201d Rosangela has always proudly shared that heritage but it was her niece Alina\u2019s obsession, as a two year old, with Dora the Explorer, that finally kickstarted this passion project.<\/p>\n
As she questioned why wasn\u2019t there an Italian version of Dora \u2013 Rosangela realised the challenge that was starting her in the face.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy philosophy is when we understood our culture & heritage, we gain an understanding of \u2018who\u2019 we are, laying the foundation to our intrinsic sense of identity and sense of belonging,\u201d she said. \u201cThe ALiNA PiCCOLiNA series endeavours to encourage the reader to \u2018enquire\u2019 and discover their own heritage and develop their sense of belonging. The ALiNA PiCCOLiNA series will educate readers of the Italian language, traditions, culture, history and geography \u201cHowever, unlike its competitors of the same genre, ALiNA PiCCOLiNA is different because it\u2019s based on real people, real places and real stories, again, creating the sense of belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n
So that was the kick off point, 14 years ago and then it was four years ago when Rosangela and her culture sharing project were part of the 2018 New Venture Institute \u2013 a Flinders University program for local entrepreneurs \u2013 that Rosangela, the children\u2019s book author, went into overdrive and she truly believed her vision could become a reality. Winning the People\u2019s Choice Award in the class of 2018 also helped motivate and inspire Rosangela.<\/p>\n
It was at this point that Rosangela started to build her team, starting with finance guru Jason Seidel and spurred on by the support of Sue Charlton and the Stand Like Stone Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo align with our \u2018keeping it local\u2019, we are pledging $2 of each book to the Stand Like Stone Foundation to fund scholarships for Limestone Coast students of language, music, art, media studies and cultural studies,\u201d Rosangela said.<\/p>\n
Then arguably her most critical recruitment to the ALiNA PiCCOLiNA was young graphic designer and illustrator Tahlee Chant, who has brought ALiNA PiCCOLiNA and all its characters to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s become a very close friend and partner in both business and adventures – thank God for Tahlee and her brilliant illustrating and graphic design talents,\u201d Rosangela said. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Tahlee, the books may have been stuck with my stick drawings,\u201d And for Tahlee the ALiNA PiCCOLiNA opportunity has been incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have always loved my art but always through if I ever wanted to pursue it would be in the city,\u201d she said. \u201cMy parents have always been really supportive of my art but to have someone else love my work and want to use me as an illustrator has been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tahlee, in fact, while completing a Diploma in Graphic Design illustrated a children\u2019s book as part of her studies.<\/p>\n
And, in keeping with Rosangela\u2019s focus on that sense of belonging, Tahlee\u2019s family are historically liked to Kongorong, the place where Rosangela\u2019s grandfather ended up living and working when he moved to Australia.<\/p>\n
And so the unlikely duo have been working side by side for four years to nail the ALiNA PiCCOLiNA characters and the finished product is now in print.<\/p>\n
Rosangela has also rounded up a social media and website team as she sets out on this adventure of her own, including an already recorded theme song courtesy of Bo Manser, with Rosangela not only planning a series of ALiNA PiCCOLiNA books but also animating each of her deeply personal stories.<\/p>\n
This personal project is also dedicated to her Papa \u2013 her father passing away in 2018, just before the ALiNA PiCCOLiNA really took flight.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPapa never walked me down the aisle but I am eternally grateful that he walked me down the path of our Italian heritage,\u201d Rosangela said. \u201cMy adventures with Papa have ended but for all existing and future students of all things Italian around the world and to all you here tonight, remember, your journey to belonging is just beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
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