Fostering a Love for Reading: Strategies to Promote a Reading Culture in Africa

What Could Writers Do to Promote Reading?

Why We Struggle With Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa

1. Socioeconomic Factors- unaffordability of books -

Earnings and outgoings spent on essentials instead e.g.- grocery shopping, utilities, bills, transportation, healthcare.

Electricity costs to read online material are expensive.

Most people log on to the internet on smartphones and have no space to download pdfs of books. WhatsApp is expensive to use in Nigeria.

2. Labour-Intensive Activities -

In Sub-Sahara activities such as household chores are time-consuming so little or no time is left over to read in the evening or weekends.

3. Reading Is Not an Integrated Part of State Policies –

Reading is not functional because most African States do not communicate via emails, letters or Bulletins with citizens to encourage the need to read information-bearing material.

4. Disinterest –

Children are not raised to like reading. Adults prefer spoken word to written Literature.

5. Inability to Read -

Many people have been disenfranchised by the unequal access to education in sub-Sahara due to cost and family-burden. School uniforms, textbooks and university fees are expensive and often not subsidised by local governments.

How to Promote a Reading Culture in Africa

1. Set up book clubs where people congregate

For e.g. – Churches and Mosques. After Service, please hold a brief book club. Use appropriate books.

2. States should actively promote adult literacy in sub-Saharan Africa with free or state-subsidized classes.

Bring NGOs onboard. Adult literacy classes in Sierra Leone are unaffordable.

3. Institute a National Reading Day-

Choose a national writer, celebrate their books and encourage citizens to read them.

4. Run Writing Competitions to choose a National Poet-laureate.

Use them to champion reading of easy-to-understand poetry.

5. Use the Nali’bali Model from South Africa

‘It Starts With a Story.’ African States should provide access to school children, clubs and groups such as girl guides, scouts for NGOs to hand our free reading material. Writers should be roped in to participate. Use Literature from your country. Use books in some local languages too.

6. Use the PPP model-

Read a poem, then move up to a paragraph and then read an entire page. When you find time, please read a whole book. What you grow!

7. Join a library- Adults Not Kids Please.

Governments should run national Join-a-Library campaigns.

8. Encourage families to run reading challenges in their communities

See which family reads the most in a given timeframe and can tell others about the books. Give a reward.

9. Introduce a National Reading Hour in Schools

Mary Mwaba Kafusha et al (2021) [University of Zambia] have called for a National Reading Hour to be incorporated into the school curriculum. All primary and secondary school children must read for a whole hour every day at school.