Daily Independent (Lagos)
Yemi Adebisi
29 June 2009
One issue that cannot be flogged to death in Nigeria's literary cafÈ is the attitude of people to reading. The art of reading makes good leadership any day. A critic observed at a book launch that not until most Nigerian leaders devote quality time for reading, the success of the seven-point agenda and its likes may not see the light of day.
One of the literary activists, who have played valiant roles in recent time to actualise this reading mission, is the founder of the Rainbow Book Club, based in Port Harcourt, Mrs. Koko Kalango. Through her popular programme, Get Nigerian Reading Again campaign, which has run consistently for five years, she has dragged many Nigerian leaders to read publicly to support the vision especially before the Nigerian children. Therefore, when her net caught such fishes like governor of Lagos State, Raji Fashola, Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, minister of information, Dora Akunyili, former secretary of Commonwealth of Nations, Emeka Anyaoku among others, the literary stream became calm with the expectation that reading will soon become 'infectious' in Nigeria.
Apparently, her move has made a difference and it is hoped that the dividends of such radical action, believed not to be politically motivated will be fruitful and allowed to cushion the effect of menace of bad leadership in Nigeria partly because of shallow knowledge. It is also expected that the club will not be intimidated but will spread her network to get the members of National Assembly, governors, presidency, ministers and local government chairmen and counsellors, reading so as to improve the scope of their undertakings in governance.
In her recent address to celebrate the 2009 World Book and Copyright Day, Kalango revealed that most Nigerians read to pass examination or job interviews.
"I came across frightening statistics from a research carried out by the Lumina Foundation, which suggests that 37 percent of literate Nigerians read for utilitarian purposes (such as to pass examinations or to succeed at job interviews), 37 percent read soft sells for gossip, 22 percent read for information, four percent read for leisure. It is this last figure that gives us cause for concern."
She observed that the importance of education in human capital development could not be overemphasised, since literacy is an essential building block of a strong society. Her mission, therefore, is to identify education with the four walls of the classroom principally in the streets, playground, religious gatherings and homes.
To achieve this, her team's goal for this year is change while recommending reading as a tool for living.
"Change begins in the mind. It therefore follows that for us to change our society for good, we would have to change the way people think. We have to renew our minds by managing what goes in there. Reading is one of the best ways to nurture the mind. To change our society, we would have to become a people who read for a living."
It would be recalled that in 2005, the Rainbow Book Club took on the challenge of reviving the dying reading culture in Nigeria by facilitating and running book clubs, hosting authors, organising various literary activities, publicising good books through its book-of-the-month, running workshops for teachers, holding an annual writing competition and recently by getting leaders to read to children.
Authors that have participated in this mission include Noble Laureate Wole Soyinka, Prof. Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, late James Ene Henshaw, Professor Femi Osofisan, Chukwuemeka Ike, Odia Ofeimun and Dr. Wale Okediran.
In the record of their sponsors are organisations such as UNESCO, British Council, Alliance Francaise, the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA), the Reading Association of Nigeria (RAN), Abuja Literary Society, among others.
In her address, she declared her latest efforts and strategies for the campaign exercise.
"Last year we began the Leaders Read project, and we appreciate the personal participation of visionary leaders in our society: Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Governor Amaechi of Rivers State, Governor Fashola of Lagos State and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Today, the Honourable Minister for Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, joins this rank of leaders by reading to our children. In the past five years we have worked to create an awareness of the need to encourage people to read. This year we are taking the reading campaign a step further by calling attention to the importance of libraries in getting people to read," she said.
Kalango declared that through the campaign, her team identified the lack of access to books as one of the reasons people do not read but observed that patronage of Nigeria libraries is on a low pedestal.
As a result of this, the club has agreed to address the issue of reviving libraries in the new dispensation of its programme.
"Our focus this year is to Revive the Library. Our existing libraries need renovation. The children's sections in particular could do with a touch of fresh paint, new books, and good publicity. New libraries must also be set up. We are advocating that every school has a basic, functional library. We want to see every ward, every local government has at least one library."
She therefore called on corporate organisations, religious organisations and individuals to set up libraries in their communities while foreseeing neighbourhood libraries springing up all around the nation so that every child has books at their beck and call.
The Rainbow Book Club further declared its readiness to work with all tiers of government, corporate organisations, serious-minded individuals and progressive grassroots organisations to see the success of the project.
Citing the importance of reading in our society, Kalango said, "Reading empowers mentally, stimulates intellectually, encourages creativity, hones our analytical skills, keeps us informed, and disciplines our minds. Reading sets us free, it gives us wings to fly to places we have only dreamt of."
Appealing for progressive support for the initiative, Kalango imbibed every Nigerian to be an ambassador of this noble cause while appreciating the role of the press in the success of the programme.
She expressed her strong conviction that a new Nigeria will emerge in not- so-distant future with this initiative despite the current speculated statistics of 53 million illiterates in Nigeria.
"I see a country where discipline and honesty is held in high regard, a land where the rule of law thrives and where honour is valued. A Nigeria that stands tall in the global village. But to get to this place we would have to make sacrifices. We must be ready to work hard to experience change for the better. We have to become more informed and enlightened to stand at par with the best, the world over. One of the ways we can build up ourselves is by reading. That is why we cannot let this campaign die. We must all put our hands to the plough and not look back so that we can reduce the staggering number of 53 million illiterate Nigerians to zero."
The maiden Garden City Literary Festival, held in Port Harcourt between September 24 and 27, 2008, was a success. Organised by the Rainbow Book Club in collaboration with the Rivers State Government, literary connoisseurs and people from all works of life attended the event held at the University of Port Harcourt. Governor Amaechi of Rivers State declared, while opening the festival his interest to use the annual programme to revive a declining reading culture among Nigerians.
In attendance at the four-day literary festival were eminent scholars and writers of international repute like Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Kofi Awoonor (author and former Ghana Ambassador to the UN), best selling author Elechi Amadi and Tekena Tamuno (former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan). Others were Okey Ndibe (author and national columnist), Petrina Crockford (a young writer and journalist from the U.S.A), and Ibim Semenitari (first Nigerian female winner of the CNN Journalist of the Year and Publisher of Business Eye), and Kaine Agary (author of the award-winning book Yellow Yellow).
The highlight of the festival included a four-day book fair and exhibition where education stakeholders from around the country marketed their goods and services. Other events were symposia, workshops on creative writing, publishing, teachers' and students' workshops, various literary fora and a performance of Elechi Amadi's The Woman of Calabar. Most of the participants, especially Nigerian students and the media, had the opportunity to ask pertinent questions on general issues from the Africa's first Nobel Laureate in Literature, Professor Akinwole Akinwande Soyinka at an open house interview session.
It is expected that this year's event would be well publicised as the world is getting used to this commission for better.
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Dear Writer, You have really "hit the nail on the head". Without a fairly well-read population, a society may decay very fast. Because I left Nigeria long ago, I donot know the condition of our libraries at home. For obvious reasons, I have lowered my expectations of the typical Nigerian Library. If any one is ready to pay the luggage fees for used books(the contents and conditions are prime) please inform me at mattaoftime@yahoo.com. I will buy some books for Nigeria. Yrs Phillip Kientimi Owi