NATIONAL BOOK WEEK: Get read-y

Rejoice in the glory that is literature!

Between September 7 and 13, our country celebrates National Book Week, titled the most successful national reading campaign.

There is no denying the importance of reading in a person’s life.

Having as few as 20 books in a household is proven to have significant impact, in propelling a child to higher levels of education.

Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Rejoice Mabudafhasi is an advocate as such.

“The importance of reading in order to achieve success in life, is foundational for the individual and essential for nation-building and social cohesion.”

The reality is that only 14% of South Africans read books, while about half the country does not own a leisure or fiction book.

Operation #BUYABOOK was launched to counter this.

CEO of the South African Book Development Council, Elitha van der Sandt explained the council had partnered with Exclusive Books and Bargain Books to offer selected books at R20, from September 7 to 20 this year.

“Please buy a book, not for yourself, but for someone who doesn’t own one.”

The second campaign launched this Book Week is #GOINGPLACES, and a bus-ful of books will travel the country, bringing literature to all those who read.

“This is all in hope of amplifying its message in imagining a better life and better South Africa, and building it through books.”

#GOINGPLACES will be in Ladysmith tomorrow, although the message behind Book Week and Literacy Month speaks for itself.

“Readers tend to be more adventurous and curious, and exhibit greater respect for their peers, teachers and themselves,” said Wayne van der Wath, founder of Big School Enterprises.

Today, he added, more than 860-million adults cannot read or write, and well over 100-million children worldwide have no access to basic education.

“The ability to read, write and communicate connects people and empowers them to achieve things they never thought possible. It is truly the basis of who we are and how we interact with the world.”