From “Coat of Many Colors” to “Colours of My Mind,” By Foster Akpore

Dolly Parton once turned a poor child’s “Coat of Many Colors” into a story of dignity… In Egini, Austin Emaduku has given “Colours of My Mind” another meaning by placing books within reach of the community and creating opportunities for young people to engage with literature themselves… One began with a coat made from scraps… The other begins with shelves filled with knowledge…. Both carry a message that deserves to travel far beyond Tennessee and Egini: circumstances may shape where a child starts, but access to education can help determine where that child goes.

There was a remarkable coincidence in Delta State on Tuesday, 25 August.

On the day the world mourned Dolly Parton, the American country music legend whose childhood poverty inspired “Coat of Many Colors” and whose later life became closely associated with childhood literacy, Egini in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State was opening a new chapter of its own.

At the Egini Community Town Hall, Dr Austin Emaduku presented his 275-page book, Colours of My Mind, and formally opened the Egini Community Public Library, a facility he donated to the public to mark his birthday.

There is no evidence that the two events were connected. Yet the coincidence provides a remarkable opportunity to reflect on the relationship between poverty, books, education and the responsibilities of those who have the means to give back.

Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” was born from a childhood experience of poverty. Her mother made her a coat from pieces of discarded cloth. To the outside world, such a coat could have represented deprivation. To the young Dolly, it represented her mother’s love, sacrifice and dignity.

Decades later, that same child who grew up with very little would establish the Imagination Library, a…