Moses Mabhida Public Library in Site C, Khayelitsha celebrated International Literacy Day in style on Tuesday 8 September as it hosted a book talk in the library. The event was attended by various authors, book publishers and vendors.

Librarian Ayanda Qagana described the occasion as an annual event. She said it was the first time this kind of event was hosted.

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Testing the waters

“We are just testing the waters. Our plan is to do it annually. Since it is International Literacy Day, we decided to invite local authors and primary school learners to be part of it. We didn’t want to lose the concept of the day, but wanted to do it in a different way where we are still encouraging people to read,” said Qagana.

She said the objective was for people in the publishing sector to share their experiences and also motivate young people. She said they also wanted to change the perception that people have about libraries as places that only keep books. She stated that libraries are modernised and provide various services.

“We wanted to inspire young learners to be book writers. And they can be good writers only if they read. We also wanted them to ask the authors questions directly. Libraries are not only about books, but about connecting people with information,” she said.

One of the young authors, Lunathi Gqaji (13) from Gugulethu, the author of My Opinionated Self, described the event as informative. She said for her it was part of gaining exposure and rubbing shoulders with other well-known authors.

Young author Lunathi Gqaji

She said writing comes naturally to her. “I am a curious person. I always like to ask. Even at school I was in a writing club. One day I decided to transfer my opinions to paper. My book is about our social issues,” said Gqaji. She urged her peers to focus more on positive things.

Teacher calls for parental support in reading

Asandiswa Makapela, a teacher at Nolungile Primary School in Site C, praised the event organisers for doing a great job. She said many learners are struggling to read.

“Many learners don’t understand what they are reading. So, we have a challenge of learners who just read but don’t understand. These kinds of events help and motivate our learners to read more,” she said. Makapela urged parents to supervise their children’s reading.