Sharing a Love of Reading at National Book Week

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) is encouraging people to engage with books and share the joy of reading during this year’s National Book Week from 2 to 7 September 2013.

National Book Week is an initiative of the South African Book Development Council (SABDC) and the national Department of Arts and Culture to acknowledge the value of reading and the important role it plays in a nation’s development. Launches will take place in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The Western Cape Library Service will be hosting a satellite National Book Week 2013 event in Atlantis using the theme, “Read and Share”. Various exhibitions, programmes and fun-filled activities will take place to promote the joy of reading among people of all ages. The festivities will be launched at Atlantis City Mall on Monday, 2 September by the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport Dr Ivan Meyer.

Ms Ethney Waters of the Western Cape Library Service said one aim of the event is to alert people to the treasures that can be found in public libraries. “Members of the public will be advised about how to become a member of the local public library,” she said.

Interesting activities will be presented daily at the Atlantis City Mall and at nearby libraries. These include exhibitions, story hours for children, poetry sessions, book competitions, introductions on how to form book clubs, face painting for children, old-fashioned film shows, advice on how to become a library member, computer skills instruction, advice on how to make your own vegetable garden, and activities to promote awareness of how to interact with Deaf people.

DCAS and its partners are working better together to help foster a love of reading among all people in the Western Cape, contributing to higher levels of literacy and opening up the potential for new experiences through the power of the published word.