National Book Week celebrates the books of our lives

Johannesburg, South Africa (07 August 2013) — National Book Week will be celebrated from 2 – 7 September 2013 across the country. Schools, libraries, municipalities and provinces will all be hosting diverse activities to highlight the books of our lives and the value reading adds to our lives. This South African Book Development Council (SABDC) initiative, in association with the Department of Arts and Culture, aims to promote the joy of reading among South Africans of all ages.

The main event will be hosted in the Eastern Cape from the 5 – 7 September in Port Elizabeth (now known as Nelson Mandela Bay). The event will take place at the Red Location Precinct in New Brighton. The main event is co-hosted with the Eastern Cape Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

The Book Industry and the general public are urged to help foster a love of reading among all South Africans, contributing to a higher level of literacy while opening up new worlds and possibilities with the power of the written word.

The South African Book Development Council urges South Africans to take responsibility to get others reading.

“We all stand to gain. We’ll have a more informed citizenry, able to actively participate in all aspects of life. And when people feel their worth, we are likely to see less crime, greater social cohesion and elements of a winning nation,” says Elitha van der Sandt, CEO of the SABDC.

“Look around you. We all have people around us who never owned a book. Go out and buy them a book. Not any book, a book that is relevant to their lives, a book that is easy to understand and most likely to make a difference in their lives,” she adds.

National Book Week is fast becoming a premium reading event and a corporate social investment tool for the book sector.
National Book Week Activities at Red Location include:

• Exhibitions
• The ever popular Magic Tent with loads of activities for children
• A minimum of 6 schools visiting per day
• Poetry and Hip-Hop sessions
• Information sessions and workshops
• Authors’ programme
• Ambassador motivational talks and reading to youth and children
• Book Discussion Programmes with schools

Regional activities

•  A number of regional activities will be hosted in the Eastern Cape with the Provincial Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture
•  The Western Cape Library Services will be hosting a National Book Week programme in Atlantis through the Office of the MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sports.
• Grahamstown will host a Children’s Literature Festival in conjuction with Puku IsiXhosa Story Festival from 06-08 September, as part of their celebrations for National Book Week.
• Kalahari.Com will have a 30% sale on all their local books during National Book Week and will donate a number of Gobii e-readers as giveaways to National Book Week, as part of their support for the campaign.
• Mini-National Book Week in Ntabankulu (rural Eastern Cape) from 02 September. Activities include book debates, reading and poetry.
• Opening of a Modular Library in Herschel from 05-07 September and the activities include Book Discussions and Orphanage visits.

The South African Book Development Council is also proud to announce a new partnership with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) for National Book Week 2013.
As the reading culture remains minimal, DCS is working towards promoting a culture of reading and writing in their correctional centers and to project reading as a fun activity that expands horizons of knowledge for both offenders and officials.

The Department finds itself very fortunate to partner with the SABDC in order to achieve Rehabilitation through the culture of reading and writing.

For more information contact the SABDC offices at:
021-914-8626
admin@sabookcouncil.co.za
bookweek@sabookcouncil.co.za