Festival aims to preserve languages in Mbombela
The festival will host indigenous language writers who will interact with one another and discuss how their work affects language preservation.
A book festival will be used as a platform during which young writers will be encouraged to produce more books in their mother tongue to preserve indigenous languages.
According to the organiser, Bobo Lukhele, the co-founder of the BookHive, a non-profit organisation, the aim is to instil the culture of reading in schools and communities.
She said the festival will host indigenous language writers who will engage with one another and discuss strategies on how their work makes an impact on language preservation.
“We will have a publishers’ session during which they will discuss their books and tell their stories about their journeys since they started writing books. They will also be guiding aspirant writers on how they can achieve their dreams as writers.
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We will have children’s books reading sessions by the writers themselves, and in line with Heritage Month, various indigenous language authors will discuss their works. Preserving these languages is important, as it forms part of our culture and heritage, because nowadays, we have children who are unable to speak their home languages, but only communicate in English,” Lukhele said.
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Well-known writers such as Jabulani Ngcongwane and Dudu Busani Dube, among others, will attend the event, and another respected author, Jakie Phamotse, will launch her new book.
BookHive has assisted many authors to launch their books in Mpumalanga. It visits various schools to donate books and have volunteers read to the learners. The organisation has already established two libraries in two primary schools in the City of Mbombela.
The book club runs various projects aimed at assisting learners and adults to read and write effectively. According to Lukhele, since the start, the organisation has been doing well, but financial assistance would be appreciated, as the members sometimes have to pay for their transportation fees.
The festival will be held in Mbombela on Saturday, September 30.
