Mpumalanga Literacy Month celebrations: A Day of Fun, Learning, and Books

Written by Righardt Le Roux

Nal’ibali in collaboration with BK Publishing, The Department of Education ~ Mpumalanga Division and Msukaligwa LIS hosted its third annual Literacy Month Commemoration in Wesselton recently. Despite the endless follow-up messages, emails and expected exhaustion from traveling to Ermelo and back, it was great fun.

As usual teachers and children from local schools were eager to join in the festivities and we had two new schools joining this year. Kamogelo, a Grade 7 learner from Wesselton Primary School, welcomed all attendees warmly stating “reading is providing the brain with nourishment as it stimulates the ability to think critically. The more you read the bigger your hunger for knowledge become and you thirst to learn more. Reading a book is like going on an adventure, books and stories are truly the richest sources of information.”

The event represented the very best of what I love about books, and particularly children’s picture books.

It was also the launch of a new children’s picture book “This Book Is Boring” from the penmanship of Benoît Knox, shared with the audience in English and isiZulu. All attending schools were very happy to receive a copy of this book for their own school libraries, ensuring that more children will have access to this book through the school library lending system. .

What made the event mostly different was children who were invited to be speakers as part of the launch and the high level of preparation which went into their speeches.

Ofentse, a Grade 6 learner from New Ermelo Primary School, shared the four elements of a good story with the audience and illustrated the points by sharing and reflecting on the story: Why Monkeys Live In Trees.

Reading Ambassador, Nolwazi, a Grade 7 learner from Qambikile Primary School, shared the following knowledge with her peers: “The ability to read affects us all. If a person can’t read it becomes very hard to keep up ~ especially in school and then more so later in life. When we promote literacy, we build better and stronger communities.”

It was utmost fun to then listen to Benoît and Senekhaya sharing the story This Book Is Boring, highlighting that in reality no book is boring. The book was well received by the children and the community. This was demonstrated when one of the attending adults was so inspired by the work Nal’ibali does and how BK Publishing makes it possible for children to buy and own books that he made a donation right then, allowing for all children present to go home with at least one book of their choice. This demonstrates the power community buy-in and inclusivity of our programme work. We understand that including the community in our work promotes family literacy and as such, more families enjoying the power of stories together. It was heartwarming to see the many adults who attended the event and enthusiastically cheering for the children.

It was pure joy observing children who boldly love stories, as well as reading for pleasure, appreciating listening to an author reading his book interactively with them.

When we hosted the first event three years ago, we came together as strangers but through our joint love of books and stories, genuine friendships have been established.

This year saw record book sales with BK Publishing returning home with many an empty book crate as attending children didn’t just buy books for themselves, but also for younger siblings at home. This generosity and affordability means that homes now have access to a wider range of books to read. Letting children buy books of their own choice fosters a deeper and more meaningful link to reading and can encourage a lifelong love of reading and acquiring knowledge.

How refreshing it was to spend time with such children who ‘get it’ and help bring about the much needed behavioural change across the South African literacy landscape.

The interest in the event have been shared by attendees via Facebook posts, private