Two years ago, when Susette Adjoa requested her family’s seamstress to dress a Barbie doll that she’d bought at a local shop, she didn’t know she’d end up finding a new business venture – and the chance to expand her passion for telling African stories through toys.

A Barbie fan, Adjoa created Cheza Toys, using the Swahili word for play, to give African children a sense of pride. She found, through her interactions with other toy creators, that it was believed little Black girls across the continent and globally were connecting more with white dolls than dolls reflective of themselves. Unhappy about this, Adjoa decided to create toys and design apparel that would allow children to have a better understanding of their roots.

“When little girls see their African mothers, they are their first hero, friend and role model,” Adjoa told OkayAfrica. The apparel and toys depict, promote and teach the children their African heritage.” Having herself been bullied as a little girl and lacking in self-esteem as a child, she began designing the dolls around 2014, with the company really taking off around 2018.