IN encouraging leisure reading and promoting the importance of books, the Books Beyond Words online story telling is being held each Saturday for the duration of lockdown.
Last Saturday, Madoda Ndlakuse, a reading activist, storyteller, poet, writer and literacy mentor from Uitenhage, took over the baton from raconteur Bongiswa Kotta-Ramushwana, to entertain children with stories on the National Book Week’s Facebook page.
He read two stories, both authored by him, titled “A visit to Qhagqiwa Library” and “uHagwana” an isiXhosa story about a piglet who overcomes challenges in his life with a positive attitude.
“The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown’s extended period and self-isolation on parents and children cannot be overstated,” said Elitha van der Sandt, CEO, South African Book Development Council.
“In that light, it is heart-warming to see our authors and story tellers rally to bring a little joy to people’s daily routine and encourage reading.”
Multifaceted personality Madoda spends a lot of time in the communities promoting reading for enjoyment as well as with members especially children encouraging them to learn from their own stories. He has also written a children’s book called Umtshato WeNtlanzi Nenkukhu and is a founder of the Eastern Cape Book Festival.
As the lockdown kicked in at the end of March, parents, forced to work from home had to quickly find a balance between working, entertaining and endless rounds of the kitchen.
“Streaming platforms provide some respite, but there’s only so many cartoons you can watch in a day. Thankfully for us, several children’s book authors and story tellers warmed up to our idea and decided to use their skills to help bring some entertainment to families in isolation,” said Van der Sandt.
Sigh language story tellers needed
All broadcasts are recorded and if you have missed a previous week’s story, you can find it on the Facebook page.
National Book Week also plans to include stories for children who are deaf and hard of hearing and is inviting story tellers who can communicate in sign language to participate.
- The South African Book Development Council pays the story tellers, bringing some relief to the loss of income in the cultural sector during lockdown. Interested story tellers can contact us via our Facebook page or on email bookweek@sabookcouncil.co.za
