His dedication to literacy saw Chumile Sali, the founder of The Bus People Initiative, recently organising the KwaNobuhle Children’s Book Fair. This event, held at the Babs Madlakane Community Hall, KwaNobuhle, was inspired by Sali’s multi-award-winning book, The Bus Book, and was aimed at fostering a love for reading among children and their parents.
Sali, born and raised in KwaNobuhle, felt a deep connection to his roots and a strong desire to give back to his community. Recognising that a significant number of primary school children struggle with reading comprehension, the author initiated the KwaNobuhle Children’s Book Fair. His goal was to encourage parents to read to their children and to inspire children to read for pleasure.
The success of the book fair showed the power of community collaboration. Sali, a well-known human rights activist, did not expect his Facebook friends to gather over 300 children’s books in preparation for the fair. They did not only donate books, but also volunteered their time to making the event a success.
Sali revealed,
The planning and execution of the book fair were made possible through the collective efforts of various individuals and organisations. “Uhlanga Books Publishers played a crucial role in imagining the event, while Nombulelo Ndandani and Ntombi Mapapu assisted with logistics and provided a jumping castle for the children. The Luthando OVC Care Centre in KwaNobuhle contributed a PA system, and numerous individuals donated money for snacks,” he explained.
Sali hopes that the KwaNobuhle Children’s Book Fair will have a lasting impact on the local community by fostering a culture of reading. He plans to host the event at least twice a year and has involved local schools to monitor the progress of children’s reading skills. “Looking ahead to 2025, I will collaborate with Uhlanga Books to identify young writers in KwaNobuhle and publish a children’s book authored by local children.”
Zimkhitha Macengulashe, the Director of Uhlanga Books, was impressed by the sense of community that the event revealed. “The highlight for me was how parents came together to learn with their kids. I sensed this exhilarating sense of community from abantu BakwaNobuhle (the people of KwaNobuhle),” she remarked.
