A conversation to expand mother-tongue thought horizons
Phiwayinkosi Mbuyazi is igniting the minds of teenagers and contributing to the advancement of South African indigenous languages through his translation of scientific books. In this process he has invented almost 500 new isiZulu words. Mbuyazi spoke to us about the importance of nurturing mother-tongue languages in the educational and academic world:
Of all the creatures in the animal kingdom we, the humans, are the only…
The art of the spoken word
Sally Mills, Networks and Communications Co-ordinator at Nal’ibali, explores how the work of literacy activist Mpho Khosi inspires literacy:
The streets are alive and so are the minds of the young people who walk them. Brisk with triumph, pounding with frustration, clumsy with desperation or tripping with excitement, the streets feel the beat and the urgency of the youth and give rise to a voice…
What PRAESA’s award means for literacy in South Africa
Jonathan Jansen, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State, speaks to us about what PRAESA’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award means for the literacy landscape of South Africa:
Growing up amidst the poverty and hardship of the Cape Flats, I remember one thing from my childhood—it was how the presence of books would come to change my life forever. My mother was a nurse…
Globalisation and the importance of multi-ethnic stories
Kgebetli Moele, a South African writer best known for his novels, Room 206, UNTITLED, and The Book of the Dead, writes about the effects of globalisation and the importance of engaging with our stories in this multi-faceted country:
There was a man who once wrote a book and titled it Cry the Beloved Country, and then another man, amazed by our fake selves, said: “Oh! But…
Nal’ibali and Jungle Theatre Company find out how stories began
Jungle Theatre Company in partnership with the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign has developed a new production called How Stories Began based on the retelling of this traditional Zulu folktale by local author Wendy Hartmann.
How Stories Began will premiere at the Masque Theatre from 29 June to 3 July 2015 between 10h00 and 12h00 daily with a performance and workshop for children 4 years and older.
How Stories Began is set in…
Dads matter too: Nal’ibali partners with SAVF-FAMNET for Fathers’ Story Week
This June, the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign is putting the spotlight on the power that fathers have to help nurture their children’s emotional and academic development, simply by reading and sharing stories with them on a regular basis. In collaboration with SAVF-FAMNET, the campaign is encouraging dads across South Africa to become active in their children’s literacy development through the annual Fathers’ Story Week drive (14-21 June).
“We’ve…
Nal’ibali spreading the power of stories with pop-up bookstand at the Franschhoek Literary Festival
The Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign will be running a special pop-up bookstand at the Franschhoek Literary Festival on Saturday 16 May as part of its current ‘Story Power. Bring it home’ awareness drive. In partnership with Times Media, the stand is aimed at providing books and other literacy materials to members of the broader Franschhoek community in a bid to promote and support a culture of reading…
Nal’ibali’s book day parties bring literacy poster to life
World Book Day is a date set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to inspire people, particularly young people, to enjoy books and reading. Celebrated on 23 April each year, the day presented Nal’ibali with the perfect opportunity to launch our new children’s literacy rights poster – a collection of 8 messages to help grow a love of reading in children…
Unleashing the latent potential of the young
Mandla Langa is a South African poet, short-story writer and novelist. He is also the Executive Vice-President of PEN South Africa, an endorser of the Nal’ibali children’s literacy rights poster. Mandla spoke to us about the importance of literacy in allowing children to fulfill their potential:
The need to entrench the culture of reading among children was impressed on me recently. During the Easter weekend…
Imagining a literate South Africa
Koketso Ratsatsi is a collaborator in the Mohlakeng Youth Movement – a team of young people working in the Mohlakeng township south of Randfontein to grow a culture of reading in the community. Here’s her wise take on how we should all take ownership of literacy development:
Knowledge is powerful and, transmitted through reading, it is one thing that no one can ever take away…
