stories

This literacy and heritage month, Nal’ibali – the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign – in collaboration with the South African office of the United Nations, will be using its annual multilingual storytelling contest, Story Bosso, to nurture a new generation of courageous and literate children. Launching on Friday, 31 August, and running for the month of September, this year’s contest has ‘South African Heroes’ as its...

Written by Buhle Ngaba   Being a storyteller is one of the most important aspects of my identity. I can't remember a time when I wasn't searching for expression in one way or another, whether as an actor on a stage, on my couch with pen and paper in hand, or in an art class. As a child, I read books at an alarming rate and...

There is no doubt that Zukiswa Wanner is one of South Africa's most talented authors and storytellers. Her debut novel, The Madam, was published in 2006 and since then Zukiswa has remained relevant and one of the most important voices of our time. This year's World Read Aloud Day story, 'The final minute', was written by Zukiswa. She will also be the storyteller at the...

Reading to Figure out Fact from Fake Jade Jacobsohn In the wake of the thwarted vote of no confidence against Jacob Zuma, my phone buzzed to life with the speedy humour and amateur autopsies that typically escort all big news events down the tawdry carpet of history. One message contained a recording from 702’s Bongani Bingwa’s talk show on Women’s Day. In it an anonymous caller, claiming...

Schools and reading clubs were given the opportunity to win quality reading material in a variety of languages through a mini library competition run in the Nal'ibali reading-for-enjoyment supplements in 2012. After SMS'ing their details, the following winners were randomly selected from hundreds of entries received. Nokukhanya Ndlovu, KZN Nokukhanya Ndlovu, a local teacher at the Sandasonke Primary School in KwaZulu-Natal is dedicated to getting the...

One could have easily mistaken the adult reading workshop for a pre-school class as grown men and women jumped up and down, sang and performed theatrics – all in the name of promoting literacy. The Nal’ibali regional training workshop hit the Grahamstown area at the weekend as part of a national drive to get children and adults reading for enjoyment in a bid to inspire...

Stories are woven so tightly into the fabric of our everyday lives that it’s easy to overlook their significance in framing how we think about ourselves and the world. They fill every part of our daily lives as we talk about events and people, read books and news reports, gossip, send text messages, listen to music, watch video clips, and catch up on a...

Have you wondered why there is so little continuity between learning in the foundation phase and the wonderfully rich invention that characteris es learning in the preschool years? Well, there is no abrupt turnaround in how young children learn just because they move into a school system. The enormous learning strides that children make before Grade 1 should continue by leaps and bounds. Having some...

According to the US Census Bureau, minorities represent almost half of America’s population under the age of 5. This statistic portends a more ethnically diverse America, with new and growing populations playing more significant economic, social and political roles. Perhaps it’s no surprise that kindergarten and elementary school teachers today recognise the importance of teaching a curriculum that reflects this multicultural and multiracial world. Culturally responsive teaching means providing learning...

One of my favourite storybook characters as a child was Mrs Tiggywinkle from The Tale of Mrs Tiggywinkle by Beatrix Potter. She was a hedgehog who miraculously reinvented herself daily – without ever compromising her true identity – into an industrious entrepreneur who ran a laundry service! There she was bustling across the rolling green hills of the English countryside, a world that for me...