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South Africans set a reading record with Nal’ibali

Proud to read aloud – the good news!
On March 5, 2014, the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign celebrated World Read Aloud Day by inviting all adults in South Africa to read aloud the same story on the same day. The drive was not only an opportunity  to raise awareness about the importance of reading aloud to grow children’s literacy skills, but also a chance to release another story…

Break a reading record with Nal’ibali this World Read Aloud Day

In celebration of World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday, 5 March 2014, the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign is calling on everyone in South Africa to read aloud the same story on the same day to the children in their lives. Last year, the campaign encouraged adults to read aloud to more than 13 000 children, and this year, hopes to break this record in an effort to…

Mother-tongue stories and preserving culture

Dr Carole Bloch, director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa, speaks to us about the importance of preserving our multilingual storytelling culture:
 

Many English speakers look bemused at the thought of celebrating World Mother Tongue Day – what’s to celebrate? After all, it’s normal to use our mother tongue every day, isn’t it?
No, it’s not! In a multilingual country like South…

Nal’ibali, SA celebs and Mother Tongue Day

This International Mother Tongue Day (Friday, 21 February),  the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign will be highlighting the importance of reading and sharing stories with children in their mother tongue languages through its weekly literacy supplement and a special Twitter drive.
The campaign is calling on South Africans to share at least one, or all of their tweets, in their home languages on 21 February with some…

Building a nation of readers, school by school

Righard’s reading group has grown a lot, from a mere 14 children plucked from informal soccer fields into nine different reading groups – totalling roughly 270 kids – reading every week! He and his team have also been asked to read at local schools during school hours, to help encourage reading for enjoyment among the students. He shares with us his views on building a…

Nal’ibali by Night: A musical fundraiser

Join us for a magical evening of live music and lyrical storytelling by acclaimed local duo, Take Cover, of Idol’s fame, and their talented friends Paige Mac, at the Players Café and Bar at The River Club (Lynton Rd, Observatory).

Hosted by MC and comedian, Lunga Tshuka, the evening will be held in support of Nal’ibali and the Sunrise Educare Centre in Vrygrond to assist…

5 minutes with 5 illustrators, to celebrate International Picture Book Month

Well-crafted picture books are a genre all on their own and represent the careful weaving together of the visual and the word into a single thread of the story which delights, satisfies and feeds all who read them – young and old.  This November is International Picture Book Month, and to celebrate we interviewed five of South Africa’s top children’s authors and illustrators to find…

Earn your reading stripes with Khumba and Nal’ibali!

Cape Town based Nal’ibali, a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, has joined forces with the forthcoming 3D movie, Khumba, released by Triggerfish Animation Studios, to create a special edition of the Nal’ibali supplement.  The supplement will feature a cut-out-and-keep story, inspired by Khumba, and will be published in English plus an additional three South African languages. The movie itself will be screened at cinemas in both English language and Afrikaans –…

Congratulations to our Children’s Day winners!

In celebration of international Children’s Day in June this year, Nal’ibali launched a creative writing and drawing competition for children between the ages of three and 11, asking them to tell a story, by drawing or writing,  about what is special and important to them. We are pleased to say that after careful consideration, we have selected winners and runner-ups in each category.
Having received…

Celebrating storytelling this Heritage Day

South Africa is rich in culture and heritage and one of the ways this heritage can be preserved is through oral storytelling – a beautiful and powerful art. This Heritage Day, the Nal’ibali Cluster Mentors reflect on their own heritage as storytellers, the stories they were told while growing up, and the importance of preserving this tradition as a vital tool in literacy development.
 

 David…