News & Articles

Nal’ibali, the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign aimed at sparking children’s potential through reading and storytelling, has been awarded The Joy of Reading Prize by the Systematic Joy of Reading at Dook 1 in Aarhus, Denmark. The award was presented by the president of the International Library Association, IFLA, Glòria Pérez-Salmerón from Spain on Saturday, 1 June. Twenty-eight projects from around the world were nominated, focussing on…

Nal’ibali – South Africa’s reading-for-enjoyment campaign – will be launching four mobile libraries in select townships in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, and Gauteng. The first launch will take place at Site B Library in Khayelitsha on Friday, 31 May from 10: 00am. Members of the public will be able to find out more about the  Story Power in Motion mobile libraries as…

I was born and bred in the township of Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal. It is the fourth largest township in South Africa, and the only township with its own car registration plate: NUZ. In Umlazi, there is a small section called Chicago where I have lived for the past 21 years, although I still couldn’t tell you how it came to be named Chicago! One…

The South African Book Development Council along with various organisations who are championing reading promotion in South Africa, will be taking to social media to engage citizens on why reading for leisure is so important. Be a part of the conversation as we celebrate World Book Day with the launch of #readbecause. At 12pm on Tuesday, 23 April 2019.   Literacy organisations responding to the growing…

Early language development is rooted in the interactions children have with their parents, caregivers and peers. It is with this understanding that the statistics are unsettling: eight out of every ten South African nine-year-olds are unable to read for meaning in any language. Statistically speaking, that’s an alarming 78%. If nothing is done, these children will grow up unable to participate effectively and fully…

National reading-for-enjoyment campaign, Nal’ibali, is launching a loyalty programme for South Africans committed to making a difference in children’s reading development. Known as FUNda Sonke, isiXhosa for ‘everyone read’, the programme seeks to grow and support the campaign’s network of more than 17 000 literacy volunteers, known as FUNda Leaders, nationwide. Launched in 2016 in response to public demand, the FUNda Leader network brings South Africans…