Africans - the reading culture thing...

Africans - the reading culture thing…

Sam Mwaka-karama

       “If you do not wish it properly understood… put it in writing” – so says a popular joke between the Media and the Political class in Uganda. Actually suggesting that most documents or texts are scathingly scaled over or, not read at all…

       It is official – as in public knowledge, that frequently asked questions in the Ugandan media has this thing about the ‘impoverished reading culture’ that over a period has evolved into jokes between the media and the politicans. Those who follow the media in Uganda closely enough might have spotted this at some-point.

       My purpose here is; how do we Authors help correct this situation?

       To get the drift of my discussion – actually I belong to the thinking that what you read at an earlier age sets you on a path where you cultivate ‘the reading culture’ and, further combinations of certain books as you grow into adulthood [if you were lucky to read them at that tender age] lead you towards developing passion for reading…

       I recently came across a comment by an Author in one of our group discussions on ‘Linked In’ where she says something to the effect that the character “Oliver Twist” might have been her tow into books to the point, she concludes that, she moved over and settled in America; the country of the Oliver Twist story…

      This factor struck me as absolutely true and, one might look back and almost see those fundamental books in the category of “Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn” as being foundational to the ‘culture of avid reading’ – perhaps even habit forming! Personally, I met most of those fundamental books in libraries and along the way.

      This seems to be Africa’s big problem – in that there seem to be a disconnect in the formula and as a result the younger generation African children; especially those born in the 1970/80s were not properly exposed to the right combination of those fundamental literature materials… I may be wrong, but I think things got jumbled-up somewhere along with; Wars, African trend towards idealism, the old socialism and other Independence philosophies; may have somehow created the disconnect.

      Now, before I over do it and bangle-up my discussion my question is;  a new book market (Online eBooks) is emerging and creating widespread challenges to Authors – now the African potion of the book market potential is huge; given new Tablet reading gadgets and so on… now entering Africa. What would your view or opinion be, given the “African poor reading culture” negation? ***

The Writer is an Independent Thinker, Author and Blogger