This is an era where digital technology is enormously influencing the culture of reading among children and young people; and a time that it is taking up the place that books have had in old good times. As technological advancement takes the lead in our day-to-day activities and eases the previous laborious lifestyle, it has also threatened the valuable assets of humankinds that they have accumulated for centuries. Reading books (hardcopy books) is one of the wisdoms that technology is eroding from humankind. This is especially true among children and young people who prefer these days to gazing at their tablets or cellphones to reading books. To cope up with these challenges and instill the culture of reading among children, some responsible parents, authors, individuals and NGOs are seen working aggressively to avert the situation.
Yoseph Ayalew is Ethiopian children’s book author, winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award and Country Representative of the Open Hearts Big Dreams (OHBD). As to him, nurturing children with knowledge and moral values needs proper care and attention both from parents and teachers. In this regard, whenever parents and teachers discharge their responsibilities, books serve as a bridge between the two.
Ethiopia is a land where several cultural values are entertained, and immense historical heritages are found; and children should learn about their culture and history systematically while enjoying reading books. “Ethiopian children must be nurtured to know the cultural values of the society and the true meaning of their history. In this respect, books are the best options.”
Children`s book need proper care and it must be done with passion. Whenever authors and story writers are preparing children’s books, their mind should be free from the financial gains they may earn out of it. If not, their intention will be generating money at the expense of the future generations and they will corrupt the minds of little children.
By their very nature, children get bored easily when we read long sentence stories or give them to read books that have no captivating elements/illustrations. For this very reason, writing and publishing children’s books need engagements of experts.
Yoseph said that stories that are written in children’s books need creativity. All stories cannot be converted into books. They must be seriously evaluated by the team of experts that have adequate knowledge in the area.
“Whenever children’s books are prepared, taking into consideration those children with special needs and the cultural values of a given society is an issue that cannot be ignored. Colorful illustrations, captivating elements, short and descriptive sentences are some of the elements that need special consideration while producing children’s books.”
Regarding poor reading culture among Ethiopian children in most rural parts of the country, Yoseph said that there is still a challenge among children in reading books as it should be. This may result from the absence of libraries and books prepared in their mother tongue. The problems associated with poorly written books, unappealing stories and low quality books are still the other challenges. In this regard, using its pilot projects, OHBD is trying to fill the gaps.
Yoseph further noted that the challenge to read is not only limited to students` circle. It is also a problem among some teachers in most rural parts of the country. Despite the fact that there are books and libraries in schools, there are teachers whose reading habit is too poor to encourage children. No wonder, children are the reflections of either their parents or their teachers. Those parents who give their time to read are more likely to nurture children who are fond of reading. Likewise, teachers who tend to read books will inspire their students to read more.
Regarding the challenges cellphones are causing on children`s time and health, Yoseph said that parents and teachers are the one who should take the responsibility. Parents cannot force their children to read books while their eyes are fixed on social media. Normally, children prefer to repeat what elders are doing. They enjoy copying adults. For this reason, both parents and teachers should be role models.
Whenever the issue of children’s books is raised, it needs the concerted efforts of every citizen; it should be the responsibility of the government, NGOs and other stakeholders. As Ethiopia is a land where several languages are spoken, preparing children’s books need an active involvement of all these stakeholders to equip Ethiopian children with the desired knowledge, make them readers and responsible citizens. Books which are published in Ethiopia should not only be confined in Ethiopia. It should also be readable in other parts of the world. For this reason, we are working aggressively with OHBD to address the gap.
Seconding the view of Yoseph, Executive Director of OHBD Ellenore Angelidis said that Ethiopia is a land with diverse culture and various languages. Helping children to know their culture and identity is not an option; but a must. In this regard, books that are exclusively written to children have key roles in enabling Ethiopian children to understand local as well as global issues.
Ellenore said that OHBD is a non-profitable organization that works on children`s books that are written in different languages in collaboration with several voluntary authors and illustrators in Ethiopia. These books are prepared to ignite the reading culture of children and uplift their literary skills.
Due to issues related to quality and price challenges, those children’s books had been published in America. However, they have now started being published here in Ethiopia. So far not less than 88 children’s books that are written in Amharic and English languages were published and 26 more books were published in Afan Oromo supplemented by English languages. There are also other books written in Agnuwak, Afar and other Ethiopian languages. These books are published targeting children who cannot afford to buy; but have a desire to read books.
When asked regarding the contents of children’s books that are published by the Open Hearts Big Dreams, Ellenore said that children like books that are attractive, readable, and composed of simple and short sentences plus colorful illustrations. In this regard, scarcity of such kinds of books has inspired OHBD to take the initiative. “What is more, I have a daughter who was born in Ethiopia and when she was a young child, she learnt that many children in Ethiopia have no access to quality books or have no chance to read books with their mother tongue. This inspired me to work with Ethiopian authors, illustrators and others.”
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2024
