South Africa’s longest running and most successful reading campaign travels to six provinces this National Book Week from the 1st to 7th September 2014

Reading a book can transport you to a magical place, it can feed your knowledge, make you laugh – and inspire you to achieve your greatest goals. And to highlight just how books can whisk you to another place or another time, this year’s National Book Week (NBW) is going on a journey across South Africa to spread the love of reading to some of the country’s remotest parts.

Marking the fifth year of the longest running and most successful reading campaign in South Africa, National Book Week 2014 is proud to introduce for the first time ever a traveling bus which, over seven days will transport NBW ambassadors, motivational speakers, authors, storytellers and a toy library to towns from Ganyesa in the North West Province to Worcester in the Western Cape. A record number of six provinces will participate in this year.

This year’s theme ‘Going Places ’reflects not only the physical journey of NBW travelling deep into South Africa but it also reflects the magic of books and how reading books can ‘figuratively’ and ‘literally’ take you places. A truly beautiful combination! In each Province, the power of books – and how reading can create connections and grow knowledge no matter the distance – will be highlighted in multi-faceted localised programmes, which include reading in indigenous languages, storytelling and motivational talks, word-a-thon, poetry sessions, book debates plus many more.

 

“In South Africa, the book is one of the most under-utilised tools to contribute to economic, social and educational empowerment. Reading a book has the power to transform the individual, the community and the country at large. Reading remains one of the few ways in which we access information. We need information to thrive in this world,” says Elitha van der Sandt, CEO South African Book Development Council. “Accessing that information allows us to make more informed decisions about our lives. It allows us to actively participate in the economy, in all aspects of life,” continues van der Sandt. “National Book Week will therefore take the power of the book to many places. As the bus will be going places, so shall we be promoting the magic of the books to our diverse people, allowing them to go to faraway places, dreams, agonies and accomplishments of cultures everywhere,” she ends.

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