Carnegies Event Week 2026: Freedom Braids by Oboh Moses

About this event

Join Oboh Moses for an event about Freedom Braids, celebrating its Carnegie Illustration Medal shortlisting. Suitable for ages 4+. A picture book of love, liberation and legacy inspired by the true story of enslaved African women in Colombia braiding maps to freedom. Day after day, Nemy is forced to sow seeds in the sugarcane plantation, until one night, she follows a woman called Big Mother to a hidden shack. There, she finds a group of women braiding each other’s hair. But these are no ordinary braids. Hidden in each elaborate pattern is a secret – a message that signals their intent to flee and a map to guide them in their escape. Will the paths these courageous women weave guide Nemy to a new home where she can be free?