National Book Week! It’s all over South Africa and it’s a literacy frenzy! It’s a lot of hard work, and a lot of fun and it is impactful to the youth in our country. So, where did the FunDza team find itself in this week? Have a look below!
4 September:
Veronica Boyi and Ndibulele Sotondoshe arrived in Polokwane ready to deliver their reading and writing sessions. The logisitics and layout weren’t quite what they expected but as they are part of the flying FunDza team, they managed to get on with it! Working alongside organisations like Nal’ibali – the children were excited and enthusiastic and eager to read at the Polokwane Library auditorium. Good job, guys!
4-5 September:
Tamica Mopp and Dawn Wilson were in Laingsburg, just beyond the Swartberg Mountains in the klein Karoo and did a workshop with Laingsburg High School. The learners thoroughly enjoyed Ndibulele’s poem That’s where I’m from (you can read it here) read by Tamica in English, as well as Masha Du Toit’s story Kettinghond in Afrikaans. The turn out was great and Tamica and Dawn were warmly received. Well done, ladies!
5 September:
Sive Sibenya went off to Port Elizabeth, representing FunDza in the Eastern Cape. He was warmly greeted at the Zwide Library, and was ready to host the workshop in Zwide (a local township in Port Elizabeth). He covered some of the Harmony High series with the learners, which got them interested and engaged straight away, and Sive left knowing he’d created some future keen readers! Excellent work, Sive!
6 September:
Veronica went back on the road again, going to Laerskool Kakamas in the Northern Cape, where she hosted reading and writing workshops. The groups were ‘exceptional’, says Veronica. Teachers participated and assisted and the children were receptive and eager to learn. They were amazed that books existed with ‘their’ stories, books that were in fact fun to read and not just ‘school books’. Veronica introduced the fundza.mobi site to the students, and they knew we’d found new readers for FunDza!
6 September:
Ndibulele found himself in Itsoseng Stadium, set up with tents, dividing the audience into different age groups. Rotating from age group to age group, Ndibs introduced the FunDza mobi site and met some avid readers and keen writers.
8 September:
On the last day of National Book Week, Ndibulele was in Mofokeng, Mpumalanga, concluding his tour at the community hall. A new library was unveiled and much excitement. Books, books, books!