World Literacy Day: Discovering the magic between the pages
International Literacy Day aims to highlight the importance and value of literary education for individuals and groups, as well as providing benefits for the wider global culture.
SEPTEMBER holds an important day for book lovers and advocates of reading around the world.
The month has been dubbed Literacy Month and incorporates National Book Week (September 5 to 11) and World Literacy Day (September 8), encouraging people of all ages from all around the world to get their hands on a book to read.
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For Anivesh Singh of Durban North, much of his life is dedicated to putting local authors on the map and taking steps towards creating a more literate community.
Not only does he own Micromega Publishers in Durban North, he is also one of the founders of the Durban International Book Fair which is growing more popular year after year.
“I am an introvert and because of that, while growing up, I would read four to five books in a day. I wanted to study journalism but could not afford it. Then a bursary came through for me to study law and political science which I did. I worked for small knock-and-drop papers, as well, and have always been in publishing,” he said.
Micromega Publishers was born in 2010 and, at the time, only printed a health and wellness newspaper called The Ripple Effect.
About five years ago, Singh started publishing local authors who had interesting stories to tell but most of which would not be published by conventional publishers.
He also started The Durban Book Fair with Kiru Naidoo and Booksellers of Mzansi and now The Durban International Book Fair which attracts thousands of book lovers from all over the country.
“We had a bookstore called Hashtag Books which closed, so I was left with all these books and had no idea what to do with them,” he said.
Soon after that, the Durban Book Fair started under a tree at Mitchell Park where Naidoo, Singh and author Vishnu Padayachee would gather every Sunday to sell books.
“It gained momentum, and soon people were flocking to buy books every Sunday, until Covid hit,” said Singh.
The Booksellers of Mzansi then came to life where the homeless, through the Dennis Hurley Centre, received books to sell as a way to gain income. This project is still going strong.
The International Book Fair started in 2022 with 3 200 people attending. This year, 7 000 people attended which Singh said exceeded his expectations.
“People were actually waiting at the gates on the first day. It was heartwarming to see that schools brought their learners. Their eyes sparkled when they saw all the books. The fair is bringing back the magic of reading, and we’ve already started planning for next year’s fair,” he said.
The theme, Beyond The Book, was appropriate as Singh said he often tells writers that they are not only a writer but a content creator, too.
“You can turn your stories into documentaries, short stories, films, podcasts. There are no restrictions,” he added.
He said people often throw around the phrase that ‘nobody reads anymore’, which Singh believes is not true. “There are billions of people in the world and 56 million in this country. You can’t tell me that nobody reads anymore.
“Everyone consumes information and is passionate about something. Whatever that passion is, they will read about it,” he added.
Reading, he says, is bibliotherapy.
“It’s healing; it helps you forget about life’s troubles even if only for a little while. I encourage you all this World Reading Day to pick up something to read, donate old books to under-resourced communities and experience the magic of reading,” he said.
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