Celebrating the art of reading aloud
The Goethe-Institut Namibia recently celebrated World Read Aloud Day in collaboration with the Namibia Library and Archives Service (NLAS) and the German Embassy Windhoek.
The event was hosted alongside learners from Moses Garoëb Primary School in Windhoek.
Among the speakers were the NLAS director, German children's book author Nasrin Siege, the school's principal and representatives from the German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut.
The programme was enriched by students reading from Namibian books as part of the reading initiative BookSprint Namibia, as well as a performance by renowned storyteller Tangeni Nambinga, who presented his story of 'Penda and the Lion'.
"On a single BookSprint day, in just 12 hours, volunteer creative teams work fast to create beautiful African children’s books that anyone can freely translate, print and distribute," the German Embassy said in a statement.
Namibian stories
The first BookSprint took place in 2022 and resulted in the creation of four Namibian children’s books.
The Goethe-Institut Namibia and the German Embassy provided a donation of 650 of those books to the learners of Moses Garoeb School, so each pupil could take a book home at the end of the event.
"So far, more than 6 000 BookSprint books have been distributed to Namibian schools and kindergartens since 2023. The books can be read and downloaded from the website www.booksprintnamibia.org and they are freely available to everyone without copyright," the embassy said.
The Goethe-Institute Namibia and the German Embassy are planning to hold the next BookSprint in October in order to create more children’s books by Namibian authors and illustrators.
Read aloud
World Read Aloud Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday of February.
The day is dedicated not only to reading but also to the art and practice of reading aloud. Stories have been passed down from generation to generation since before the invention of writing. Oral storytelling was the earliest way of preserving human knowledge, insight and creativity. The day not only revives this tradition of reading but also promotes literacy.
For over a decade, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience and read aloud! The global effort is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in communities.
The event was hosted alongside learners from Moses Garoëb Primary School in Windhoek.
Among the speakers were the NLAS director, German children's book author Nasrin Siege, the school's principal and representatives from the German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut.
The programme was enriched by students reading from Namibian books as part of the reading initiative BookSprint Namibia, as well as a performance by renowned storyteller Tangeni Nambinga, who presented his story of 'Penda and the Lion'.
"On a single BookSprint day, in just 12 hours, volunteer creative teams work fast to create beautiful African children’s books that anyone can freely translate, print and distribute," the German Embassy said in a statement.
Namibian stories
The first BookSprint took place in 2022 and resulted in the creation of four Namibian children’s books.
The Goethe-Institut Namibia and the German Embassy provided a donation of 650 of those books to the learners of Moses Garoeb School, so each pupil could take a book home at the end of the event.
"So far, more than 6 000 BookSprint books have been distributed to Namibian schools and kindergartens since 2023. The books can be read and downloaded from the website www.booksprintnamibia.org and they are freely available to everyone without copyright," the embassy said.
The Goethe-Institute Namibia and the German Embassy are planning to hold the next BookSprint in October in order to create more children’s books by Namibian authors and illustrators.
Read aloud
World Read Aloud Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday of February.
The day is dedicated not only to reading but also to the art and practice of reading aloud. Stories have been passed down from generation to generation since before the invention of writing. Oral storytelling was the earliest way of preserving human knowledge, insight and creativity. The day not only revives this tradition of reading but also promotes literacy.
For over a decade, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience and read aloud! The global effort is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in communities.
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