Mxit app promotes literacy

There’s a new Mxit app that gives youngsters the opportunity to tell their stories and become published authors.

To promote literacy in South Africa, Native VML’s Mxit e-reader app, bookly, has expanded into a writing platform.

Last year, Native VML launched bookly, a sophisticated app that delivers smartphone functionality to even the most basic feature phone.

With more than 450 local and international books on the platform, bookly fast became popular with over 13 million page views since its launch.

Bookly has won numerous awards including Most Innovative App at the MTN App of the Year Awards, and the prestigious Best Start-up Award at the annual FutureBook Innovation Awards in London.

With the notion that every phone is a book and with a phone, anyone can be an author, bookly’s new mobile site will invite users to tell their story and write a bookly.

“By expanding bookly into a writing platform, we will allow children and young adults to create content that’s relevant to them, and written in their own language. That way, bookly will become a platform that inspires writing, in any language, on any mobile device,” Native VML’s head of inventions Levon Rivers said.

Writing a bookly is easy. It’s a bite-sized piece of content that can be short stories or poems.

Experienced and aspiring writers are encouraged to share their booklys on social media, not only earning recognition for themselves but also to encourage more children to read.

Readers can review other people’s booklys and share them as well.

To motivate more children to write, Native VML has introduced The bookly Award, which will recognises and rewards the best booklys.

To stand a chance of winning prizes and an opportunity to become a great South African author, enter your Bookly by 21 March.

Prominent South African authors will also add to the content on bookly, and workshops have been set up in Johannesburg and Cape Town to teach children about the initiative and inspire them to write more.

“At Native VML, we create purpose-driven work that lives in people’s lives. We’re calling on all South Africans to make a positive impact on literacy in South Africa. Whether it be writing a bookly, sharing someone else’s or simply telling people about The bookly Award, this is your chance to help improve literacy in our country,” Rivers concluded.

Details: info@bookly.co.za, www.bookly.co.za, facebook.com/booklySA