Efraim Ranjeni
Several creatives recently came together to produce quality children’s books in less than 12 hours. Organised by the German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut Namibia, the event mobilised authors, graphic designers, illustrators and editors to voluntarily offer their expertise in the first-ever Book Sprint Namibia.
It is similar to Book Dash – a South African social impact publisher of free books for very young children, which aims that every child should own a hundred books by the age of five before they enter school.
The head of the library at Goethe, Detlef Pfeifer, said despite the great challenge of producing a children’s book in 12 hours, they experienced a very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere.
The participants came up with three animal-themed books and a fourth book, featuring a young girl’s future.
Asked about the reason behind the event, he indicated that in addition to stimulating a reading culture among children, children need to own books to advance their academic level in the African literary genre.
“Owning books is a key factor in holistic early development and lifelong academic and economic success: the effect of owning books outweighs a child’s socio-economic status, and it is equalled only by parents’ level of education,” explained Pfeifer.
The books are solely owned by the authors and will soon be made accessible on the Goethe Institut website before they are printed in book form as soon as sponsors come forth.
– efraimnanjeni@gmail.com