The Banana-Leaf Ball Book Review

Football as a Bridge to Belonging

6/2/2022

The Banana-Leaf Ball by Katie Smith Milway. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans

A Global Reality

The UN Refugee Agency shared a 2020 report with an alarming 84.2 million people that have been forcibly displaced from their homes globally.

The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine adds 14 million people.

This global reality is brought to life in The Banana-Leaf Ball by Katie Smith Milway.

The Banana-Leaf Ball

Deo - the main character in the book - leaves frantically with his family but soon finds himself alone and struggling to survive. The reader is never sure where Deo was fleeing from, but we know he makes it to the Lukole Refugee Camp in West Africa.

If you were forced to leave your home quickly what would you bring?

Aside from our loved ones, a wallet, phone, and passport would likely be at the top of the list.

All Deo wanted to bring was his banana-leaf ball to play football. Sadly, he had to leave it behind.

However, Deo's soccer skills and ability to make banana-leaf balls would become the key to unifying Lukole.

Benjamin Nzobonankira

Deo's story in The Banana-Leaf Ball is based on a true story.

Benjamin had to flee his home country of Burundi in 1993 when conflict broke out. His journey to Lukole was much like Deo's. While he reunited with his father and some cousins in Lukole, his mother and sister did not survive.

It would be through an organization called Olympic Aid, now Right to Play, that Benjamin would work through his grief and start connecting with his new community.

Benjamin eventually made it back home. Understanding the power football has to bring kids together, he began coaching. He is now working for the very organization that renewed his life.

Benjamin Nzobonankira with a group of children he coaches.

The Football Bridge

Professional football (soccer) is the most popular sport worldwide. Aside from the estimated 3.5 billion fans, the 2006 World Cup collected 30 billion viewers (accumulated viewing audience across multiple games).

Where communication and cultural differences create barriers, football forms bridges! The Banana-Leaf Ball by Katie Smith Milway is a poignant story that shows the power one sport can have to bring people together.

But, it's not the only story!

The Panyee FC in Thailand is another example. This 5 minute video shares the incredible ingenuity a group of young boys had to form their own football club and build their own pitch; on the water!

Finding What Unites Us

The Right To Play's mission is: "To protect, educate and empower children to rise above adversity using the power of play."

We all face adversity, it is one of many things that unite us all. While there are many ways to respond to adversity, maybe we should consider the power play can have to rise above it.

Parent Resource

Educator Resource

School Leaders Resource