Eldorado Park – Sonia Elie, who many now know as ‘Die Boek Feetjie’ decided to follow her passion and opened her very own bookstore which is the first for the Eldorado Park community.
Elie said she has always loved reading and while working in corporate for several years – she always knew that she was not doing what she was passionate about.
“Last year, I decided to start doing what I loved which is community outreach as well as focus on literature,” said Elie.
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Last year, Elie was nominated by her mentor Diana Robertsen-Tsotetsi for a Koker award and walked away with an award that recognised her dedication to working with the community.
A few weeks ago, ‘Die Boek Feetjie’ made an appearance on KLOP!, an Afrikaans talk show, where she spoke about her love for the community and why she keeps going despite the many challenges she faces. It was an honour to have made it to TV.
“I was very excited and nervous too, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be fortunate enough – but God keeps showing me that great things will happen if I keep believing myself. It is so important for everyone, young and old to keep moving forward.
“We cannot keep focusing on the negative, let go of what makes you unhappy and start focusing on what you can do get you closer to your dreams,” said Elie.
“The journey of opening my own bookstore has not been easy, but I’m learning as I go along and the lessons I’ve learned are irreplaceable,” she added.
‘Die Boek Feetjie’ currently sells books from her home and sets up stalls at the shopping complex every Saturday. She also hosts two book clubs, each for different age groups.
“I have always visited schools in the area and I am working closely with them to ensure that each school has a library, ultimately I would like to have library programmes running in all the schools. I know it won’t be easy but I am ready to put in the work,” said Elie.
“I believe that reading is the catalyst for positive change,” she concluded.
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