Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
20 February 2008
Harare — AT LEAST 35 000 academic books meant for the Harare City Library are lying idle in the United States following the city library's failure to secure funds for shipment.
About US$12 500 is needed for the shipment of books worth over US$200 000 to beef up stocks and the city library is making frantic efforts to raise the money. Chief Librarian of the Harare City Library, Trymore Simango yesterday appealed for assistance from the community and the corporate world.
"The books are ready but we have been unable to raise the money that is needed for shipment since last year. We would want to appeal to companies and the community at large for assistance," Simango said.
Asked if the books were of any value to our curriculum, Simango said: "Yes, these are academic books that cater for primary, secondary and university level. The consignment will beef up what we already have in the library." Simango said the money they got from the Culture Fund Trust of Zimbabwe last year was not enough as they managed to buy only books for primary schools. Errol Muzawazi, who is based in Poland and the Ambassador of the Harare City Library, sourced the books. He said the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, through the ministry's secretary Dr Washington Mbizvo, offered a waiver of duty costs once the books arrive in Harare.
Since he assumed his duty as Ambassador for the library in July last year, Muzawazi managed to negotiate a donation of the books as well as 10 Pentium 3 computers from Books for Africa. "Should these books arrive in Zimbabwe, they will be of immeasurable impact to the Harare youths, pupils and students, as well as the general reading public.
"The majority of the books are academic in nature and specially selected with a view to empowering the nation educationally. The last time the Harare City Library had financial capacity to import scientific and literature material was seven years ago," Muzawazi said. He said the Harare City Library was the mother of all libraries in Zimbabwe, by virtue of being the capital city's library and the oldest subscription library in the country.
"And if such a library has old and outdated books, thus old and outdated information, we are undoing our own progress as a society," he said. Patrick Plonski, the executive director of Book for Africa, confirmed their partnership with the Harare City Library on the project. "Books that we ship are new and previously owned books donated by individuals and organisations. Our books are sent to primary, secondary, universities and community libraries.
"At least three million books have been shipped to Africa creating an economic impact of over US$15 million," he said. Since its establishment in 1988, Books for Africa has distributed over 15 million books to the continent in 34 African nations. The organisation is dedicated to helping end the book famine in Africa.
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