Daily Dispatch

Story Bosso winner a literacy activist with passion for youth

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THERE is no culture in which storytelli­ng, in some shape or form, is not practised.

From folk tales and songs to biographie­s and plays, stories are the vessel in which human beings relay emotions, messages and identity. Regardless of the way stories are told, or what medium is used to express them, they are the mirrors that reflect social values, ideas and beliefs in a culture.

They are the vehicle that allow children to bond with their elders, connect with the past and also start to understand how to make sense of the world around them in the present. As a hobby exercised in families, it is a tool of interactio­n between elders and children. And these stories are often the first step to literacy developmen­t.

As South African author Zukiswa Wanner has said: “These are the tales that children love; they’re the ones they ask to hear again and again. These stories are the ones that turn children into readers.”

The power in stories lies not only in how they encourage children to start reading, but in the interactio­n between the storytelle­r and the listener. For most children the first stories they hear are from adults around them. Simply telling a child about your day, your own childhood, fairy tales you once loved, becomes an ongoing dialogue between you and the child. It motivates them to ask questions, engage and start spinning their own narratives. This is why the reading-for-enjoyment campaign Nal’ibali launched its second Story Bosso drive. Story Bosso is a national multilingu­al storytelli­ng talent search aimed at adults and children to reignite the love of storytelli­ng in South Africa. This year, Nal’ibali received close to 3 000 story entries, in different languages, from people across the country. Following a month-long talent search campaign, Nal’ibali is proud to crown Nonhlanhla Hadebe the 2016 Story Bosso winner. Nonhlanhla, a registered FUNda leader, hails from KwaZulu-Natal and now lives in Daveyton. A literacy activist who runs her own reading club, she also volunteers her time at the Daveyton Library, where she reads to her Early Childhood Developmen­t (ECD) groups twice a week. She is a devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews and to the children at her library ECD group. Nal’ibali is excited to unveil her as our 2016 winner. Nonhlanhla won herself a R3 000 cash prize and a mobile hanging library. Her winning story will also be published as a book. Story Bosso was an exciting opportunit­y for Nonhlanhla as reading and telling stories form a huge part of her life.

“Story Bosso gave me a further opportunit­y to showcase my passion for youth developmen­t through literacy,” she said.

Storytelli­ng is one of the greatest tools we have to develop – not just our children’s curiosity and imaginatio­ns – but also their sense of empathy and belonging.

Storytelli­ng and reading aloud allows us to build connection­s with each other by passing on knowledge and providing a shared experience while at the same time being important building blocks of literacy learning,” commented Carole Bloch, director of Praesa (Project for the Study of Alternativ­e Education in South Africa), a co-founder of the Nal’ibali campaign.

Running throughout September (Literacy and Heritage Month), people of all ages were invited to enter the talent search contest.

The role of language and heritage is highly important when it comes to literacy. This is why Heritage Month was the ideal foundation to also promote Literacy Month.

Children who can understand and relate to the books and stories that are shared with them, are more likely to develop an interest in other stories and books.

It is this storytelli­ng domino effect that has the power to create a reading culture.

Regardless of what month it is, sharing stories with the children around you is the first step to create real change in communitie­s in South Africa.

All it takes is one an adult and a story to change a child’s life.

● To find out more about Nal’ibali and Story Bosso, go to www.nalibali.org . To find out more about becoming a FUNda leader, visit http://nalibali.org/funda-leader .

For more informatio­n about the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign and the Story Bosso competitio­n, as well as reading tips and stories in a range of South African languages, visit www.nalibali.org , www.nalibali.mobi or find them on Facebook and Twitter: nalibaliSA. Nal’ibali is driven by Praesa, 2015 laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial award for children’s literature and reading promotion.

 ?? Picture: AWONKE ZIDLELE ?? WINNING WAYS: Story Bosso winner Nonhlanhla Hadebe is a registered FUNda leader and literacy activist who volunteers at the Daveyton Library
Picture: AWONKE ZIDLELE WINNING WAYS: Story Bosso winner Nonhlanhla Hadebe is a registered FUNda leader and literacy activist who volunteers at the Daveyton Library
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