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Storytelling develops our children
Sharing and exchanging ideas on how to encourage reading and storytelling among children is of the utmost importance to ensure that literacy levels increase in developing countries such as South Africa. This was one of the reasons why the three-day Unisa Conference on Reading Promotion and Storytelling for Children was hosted at Unisa earlier this month.
The conference addressed issues regarding reading promotion for children and storytelling to children. The two issues were addressed on two consecutive days, and the sessions consisted of both theoretical papers and practical presentations on specific projects. Participants from different countries were invited to speak on the various issues from their perspectives. The purpose of the conference was not only to share and exchange experiences, but to determine how institutions and organisations involved in children's reading can support one other.
Prof Rosemary Moeketsi, Executive Dean of the College of Human Sciences, described it as honourable that academics, teachers, and librarians gathered to discuss the plight of children’s literacy, stating that she was concerned about the reading levels of South African children. Prof Mabel Minishi-Majanja from the Department of Information Science said people often did not realise the wealth of knowledge that is available to assist them, and that the conference was one way of extracting that knowledge from experts in the field of storytelling and reading. "When we learn from each other and share with each other, it empowers us. The children are our future and we must invest in them."
At a gala function commemorating 15 years of diplomatic ties between South Africa and Indonesia, Balinese storyteller, Made Taro, performed and his performance reflected the exhibition of Indonesian children's books opened by the Ambassador of Indonesia.
Cameroon’s Prof Babila Mutia began his presentation by explaining to delegates that his love for reading and storytelling stemmed from his grandfather who was a great storyteller who entertained dozens of children from his village. He informed delegates that dramatising stories in the classroom was of utmost importance as it teaches children the concept of listening. The ability to listen is related to a child’s ability to read the story on their own. Keeping children captivated also allows them to be active listeners instead of passive listeners, and dramatising a story ensures an increase in the level of interest. "We have to understand that orality is related to literacy and the written text. What we hear impacts eventually on what we read." Prof Mutia expressed concern that due to globalisation Africa is being bombarded with the American cultural experience and if those in Africa are not careful about preserving African culture, it will be lost. He concluded by stating that he was impressed by the manner in which South Africa integrates orality in television shows, referring to the use subtitles.
Mr Obadiah Moyo from Zimbabwe in 1995 created the Donkey Drawn Mobile Libraries to address the lack of library resources in rural areas in his country. The Donkey Mobile Libraries, an initiative by the Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme of which Mr Moyo is the Secretary General, has proved to be successful in comparison to static libraries. Each Donkey Mobile Library is equipped with shelves and carries between 1 500 and 2 000 books. "There are 12 carts which service children and three carts for adults. One cart is shared between three schools, which means a minimum of 1 500 children are reached. There is a borrowing system and each school has a committee that monitors the scheduling of the libraries and borrowing of books." In addition, there are also two specialised carts that store audio visual equipment and computers. "This project has been so successful and has really encouraged reading. Children are so excited about these libraries, they even run after the carts as they are leaving. Of course, there are challenges that we face, but this service is sustainable and we’ve have seen this during Zimbabwe’s turbulent times and even now during the economic recession."
Ms Paula Martin from Argentina delivered a presentation on storytelling: building bridges between children and books. She said words and language are what defines human beings and it is a treasure. "We love with words, we fight with words and when we leave this world, what remains is our stories." With regards to reading, Ms Martin said there was still much exclusion, and it was one of the reasons for the poor literacy rate for many countries. In Argentina, Ms Martin works with teachers, parents, and mediators revisiting the importance of reading. She explained about Argentina’s National Reading Programme which utilises various strategies to encourage reading amongst children. One strategy is the mass publishing of short stories which is distributed to schools, and the authors of the stories visit schools and read their stories to children. Another strategy is the new government issued houses have to be built with a library and when the family moves in; there are some books in the library.
Dr Murti Bunanta promoted the use of storytelling festivals as held in her country Indonesia. "They are good and direct way to promote, socialise and empower tradition and culture. By retelling folktale in festivals, the diversity and richness of cultures are kept alive in children of today and future generations." Dr Bunanta explained that storytelling is healing, educational, teaches children to respect culture, encourages friendship, develops moral judgement, dissolves hatred and creates new hope.
School librarian, Ms René Schoombee, encouraged school and public librarians to find innovative ways to promote reading amongst children. She said ideas such as puppet shows, story hours, reading competitions, reading clubs, reading workshops for teachers and parents, holiday reading programmes, creative and fun displays, and incorporating craft activities to enhance the reading experience were great ways to promote reading. |
