To commemorate Literacy and Heritage Month, Nal’ibali Trust — the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign — in collaboration with Standard Bank have partnered to bring South African families six free new children’s stories in African languages to celebrate and understand some of the customs of different cultures in SA.
Included in the series titled “Celebrating Mzansi”, is an isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana and Afrikaans short story. Each written by a local author, the stories have been translated into English and designed as colourful bilingual story cards that are enticing, easy to read and accessible for children aged five to seven years.
“SA is a country rich with culture. We are hugely diverse and have much to learn and love about each other. But to grow an appreciation for all our different people, we need to encourage our children to be open-minded, curious and sensitive to the world and people around them,” says Nal’ibali director Nqabakazi Mathe-Gina.
Stories are a perfect platform to spark children’s interests and to begin a conversation on any topic anda safe way to explore the new and unknown, as well as the familiar.
“Stories have been used throughout history to help people make sense of their lives and the world around them. But what’s more, they are also the essential building block of literacy. When children are excited by stories, they are motivated to learn to read themselves,” says Kirston Greenop, head of regulatory advocacy, stakeholder engagement and CSI at Standard Bank.
At fewer than 500 words each, the six stories are quick, short reads for parents or caregivers to share with their children. Ideally first read aloud, the stories are then discussed by asking simple questions such as what everyone did or did not enjoy, or what similar or different experiences they’ve had themselves.
This can happen at any time during the family’s daily routine — while preparing a meal, at bath time, before bed or during a daily commute. And, as the conversation unfolds, family bonds grow. To make the stories even more accessible, there will be live reads every Wednesday at 3.30pm during September on Nal'ibali’s Facebook page.
Authors and topics included in the “Celebrating Mzansi” series are: isiZulu: Inzinyo likaNozi by Thembinkosi Mabaso featuring nhloyile, a milk tooth-collecting bird; Sepedi: Lerato sekgwari sa go bina, by Thembinkosi Mabaso featuring a girl with great dance skills; Sesotho: Badisana ba dipodi by Nthuseng Tsoeu featuring naughty goats and two herd boys; isiXhosa: Wenze Ntoni Bruno? by Notozi Mgobozi featuring a clever dog and a traditional wedding; Setswana: Lesea le lešwa le tla gae by Lorato Trok featuring a baby naming ceremony; Afrikaans: Ouma kyk rugby by Jaco Jacobs featuring a rugby game and a surprising ouma.
The series is available for free download from the Nal’ibali website.
Nal'ibali has also created a free storytelling board game which can be downloaded from its website. Available in all 11 official languages, the game has been made for children to play with one another, parents, siblings or their caregivers and is designed to help them make up their own stories.
Children are encouraged to submit their stories to Nal’ibali by October 8 to be entered into a competition. Five lucky entrants will each win one R1,000 voucher from Takealot.com. Written stories, videos or audio clips of stories can be submitted at www.nalibali.org, sent via direct message to the Nal’ibali Facebook page, emailed to info@nalibali.org or sent via WhatsApp on 0600 44 22 54.
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