Nal’ibali storytelling contest comes to Kagiso Mall
Running for the month of September, this year’s contest has ‘South African Heroes’ as its theme.
During Literacy and Heritage month, September, Nal’ibali – the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign – in collaboration with the South African office of the United Nations, has been using its annual multilingual storytelling contest, Story Bosso, to nurture a new generation of courageous and literate children.
This year’s contest had ‘South African Heroes’ as its theme.
Shoppers at Kagiso Mall were treated to storytelling board games and those who were brave enough were given the opportunity to enter the contest.
“Community members around Kagiso Mall were so touched by the idea of celebrating the culture of storytelling that they are asking for more. We thank the library service from Randfontein for joining us on this day and Kagiso Mall management for giving us the space,” Portia Daniso, Nal’ibali Literacy Mentor said.
Storytelling is an effective method of passing on values and also an important part of children’s literacy development. It encourages the development of imagination, curiosity and empathy.
While it is part of daily life, it also requires practice, which is why a hero-inspired storytelling board game has been created to support entrants in building and practising their storytelling skills. The board game will be freely available to download from Nal’ibali’s website.
“By remembering and telling the stories of our heroes, we hope to inspire greatness in our children. Heroes educate us about what is right and wrong; they give us hope and motivate us to overcome life’s challenges.
When children hear stories about heroes they can identify with, they can internalise these values and are more likely to act on them, making heroic and moral behaviour part of their everyday lives,” Jade Jacobsohn, Managing Director of Nal’ibali said.
The campaign will also directly connect with at least 10 000 adults and children through a series of community and regional events. Guests will have the opportunity to play the board game in their home language before auditioning and entering a story in any one of this year’s four categories: Hero of the Past, Living Legend, Personal Hero and Fictional Hero.
This year’s Story Bosso, or first-place winner, will be awarded R5 000 as well as a book hamper. A further eight provincial prizes will be awarded and each of these winners will receive R1 000 as well as airtime. All winners will be announced in October.
To see full event details or to download the board game, visit the Nal’ibali website at www.nalibali.org.
So, whether your hero is Mama Winnie, or your own mama, join Nal’ibali in using the transformative power of storytelling to build a prosperous South African for us all.
For more information about Story Bosso, or the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign, find them on Facebook and Twitter: @nalibaliSA.
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