Cover Redesign: Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a yellow sun is a very serious book about the Nigerian civil war in the 1960’s. The title refers to the Biafran flag which had a rising sun. The plot like follows a family who are trying to live, as well as raise their child during the hardships of the war. There is a constant fear that their child will develop kwashiorkor, an illness that comes from lack of nutrition. This illness was very common in the war and is highlighted through the child on the cover, with the bloated stomach and thin arms and legs. These are both clear signs of kwashiorkor. Another sign of the disease is the discolor of hair. Often children’s hair begins to go brownish orange. The cover plays on the visuals of the “yellow sun” being the deadened hair of a child. The type is hand done with dip pens, with a 10 mm, flat nib. The background is a hand-painted fabric that attempts to replicate, but also simplify the Ankara fabrics of Nigeria.