Leila Liliane Juma’s storytelling talents developed at an early age as she wrote about love, destiny and life, hope, peace and reconciliation, friendship and family, adventure and mystery… short stories, plays, poems and songs, and entertained her siblings, friends and communities with humorous, educational and unique magical tales, which included important moral messages in an understandable way.
The author Leila Juma’s multi-cultural background, languages, and traditions, ranging from her parents, childhood in Congo, Africa through her family’s immigration to Quebec, Canada.
Leila Juma learned the traditional art of oral story-telling, and in her books she has transferred that art to written expression. The characters in the story are so genuine—and so they should be, for the story is based on Leila’s own unique family, adventures and life experiences. The descriptions and dialogue are natural, the “voices” those of real people.
“The story is told beautifully; the story-teller’s voice—and heart—speak through the words. Through this traditionally-told story, the reader can actually see and feel the land and its peoples.
Leila Juma’s story teaches us to be open-hearted to others who are different from us in some way. The author’s sense of spirituality is also woven naturally into the story, through dialogue and actions of the characters.
Nowadays Leila lives in Vancouver, Canada. She studies in Business Management, Creative Writing, Canadian Film and Film Studies, Stage Acting and Theatrical Arts, and Acting for film and television. Fluent in three languages, English, French and Swahili, and versed in the cultures of several countries, Leila weaves these influences throughout her stories to emphasize the universality of their themes. After working in the business world for a few years, she decided to focus on her true passion as a storyteller. She now is an Author, Actor, Model and Women Support Worker.