National Book Week is “Going Places” in 2014

The fifth year of South Africa’s longest-running and most successful reading campaign kicks off this week. National Book Week will be celebrated from 1–7 September 2014. The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) in partnership with South African Book Development Council (SABDC) and the national Department of Arts and Culture will be hosting a satellite National Book Week Programme in the Paarl and Wellington area from 4–6 September.

For the first time ever, a bus is transporting National Book Week ambassadors, motivational speakers, authors and storytellers across the country over a period of seven days. The journey began in Gauteng and will end in Paarl in the Western Cape. Along the way, the bus will make stops in four other provinces to host awareness and informational events. Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport Dr Nomafrench Mbombo will attend the National Book Week closing ceremony at Drakenstein Library in Paarl on 6 September.

DCAS works tirelessly to inculcate a culture of reading and lifelong reading. Charles William Eliot once said: “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends, they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors and the most patient of teachers.” Reading exposes people to the world of imagination and takes them to places they have never seen.

This year’s theme “Going Places” reflects the physical journey of the National Book Week bus travelling deep into South Africa as well as the way reading can take you places. A truly beautiful combination!