National Book Week is the longest running and most recognised reading promotion campaign in South Africa. National Book Week is run by the South African Book Development Council (SABDC) in partnership with the Department Of Arts and Culture, and was initiated in 2010. It aims to mitigate the findings the 2007 study that revealed that only 14% of South Africans read books and over half of South African households (51%) do not have a single leisure reading book.
This disturbing insight is a barrier to the country’s development efforts as reading and literacy are at the heart of personal growth, community development and a thriving nation. Having as few as 20 books in the home is proven to have a significant impact in propelling a child to higher levels of education.
Furthermore, children who read are able to easily transcend hurdles often imposed by the low educational levels of their parents, their community’s economics or the political systems of their country.
Books in a home have a strong effect on children’s educational attainment even above and beyond such factors as the educational level of parents, the country’s GDP, parent’s occupation or the political system of the country. There are many other benefits of reading such as:
The event reaches a diverse audience during visits across the country. Pre-schoolers, learners from Grade R –12, youth, adults and even the elderly from the communities and related sectors participate in the various programme activities. Visits to certain locations further involve offenders, youth-at-risk, as well as abandoned and abused children. People living with disabilities are also welcomed to participate as programme activities are designed to accommodate visually impaired, audio impaired and physically disabled audiences.
This annual campaign of the SABDC is aimed at uncovering the thrill and magic of reading books. It is guided by the idea that when the nation learns to share the joy of reading books, the country as a whole benefits as this leads to empowered, self-reliant communities.
Reading and books are a fundamental right and necessity for everyone. NBW, therefore, plays a pivotal role in helping to shape the future of our country.NBW is aimed at uncovering the thrill and magic of reading books. It is guided by the idea that when the nation learns to share the joy of reading books, the country as a whole benefits as this leads to empowered, self-reliant communities. All events promote a key message to encourage reading as a fun activity with each province or location tailoring the programme to meet local demands with a strong focus on promoting indigenous languages, local authors as well as library awareness and access.
Key Objectives.
