The country is facing a reading crisis with 41% of South Africans owning less than 10 books, according to a survey by the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (Pamsa).
But owning books is not the only measure of South Africa’s literacy culture and access to all forms must be improved, says Pamsa executive director Jane Malony.
“Books in libraries and similar facilities and books in different languages for South Africans. Picture books for small hands and developing brains also have tremendous power, and ideally these books should be paper,” he said.
The survey showed that when it comes to reading for leisure, 32% of participants prefer paper books to electronic versions.
Julia Norrish, executive director of Book Dash, a non-profit publisher of African picture books for young children, said the survey provided valuable insight into reading preferences.
“Many people find printed materials useful in their daily lives and how they use information. Unfortunately, this is not always related to the number of people who own and access books,” he said.
The process of making books and distributing them requires skill, time and money, which makes it unaffordable for most families, he added. But if children have access to books at a young age, it can increase their chances of success in life.
Language barriers may also contribute to low reading rates, especially since only 2% of children’s books are commercially published in South Africa in local African languages, Pamsa said.
“In a country where eight out of 10 people speak a home language other than English or Afrikaans, creating workable stories in their native languages is essential if we hope to improve children’s literacy and inspire the next generation to read,” he said.
Malony believes that access to books is important for early childhood development because it helps young people develop language and comprehension skills.
“Countless research studies have shown that paper-based materials improve reading comprehension, information retention and learning and that printed texts are superior to digital texts in facilitating learning strategies,” he said.
Melusi Tshabalala, author Gogo Magic and Her Food Truckbelieve the problem is not the reading platform.
“This country does not have a great reading culture, so people are not interested in physical or digital books. People should enjoy reading, regardless of medium or platform,” he said.
Tshabalala praised the work done by organizations such as Nali’bali, a national campaign aimed at children up to the age of 12, saying that any organization that encourages reading, especially among children, should be commended and supported.
“We need more stories that are relevant to children’s lives and realities – stories with children like them and their families like them,” she said.
Tshabalala’s book tells the story of 18-year-old Tumelo and his two sisters, Akhile and Azande, who want to share their amazing gogo with other children – especially those who live far from home or don’t have one.
“I also live (the story) by launching a food truck that sells the food mentioned in the book, prepared by my mother, whose name is Magic, like uGogo in the book,” said Tshabalala.
The book is available electronically and the Gogo Magic food truck operates from the Fourways Farmers Market in Modderfontein, Johannesburg at weekends.