Student Zone Road Tour captivates
The Gaborone Book Festival ( GBF) Student Zone Road Tour, sponsored by Mastercard Foundation, has been a resounding success. One of the key initiatives of the GBF Trust is the Student Zone, which targets primary school and brings them to the annual book festival for an immersive and transformative literary experience.
However, due to the Covid- 19 social distancing restrictions, the Trust was unable to host this part of the event, and decided to conduct a tour to different schools across Botswana. GBF Trust spokesperson, Keikantse Phele said despite the pandemic social distancing restrictions, they were determined to still make a difference, impact and engage with students, especially those from communities where reading is not a culture for various reasons, some of them socioeconomic. To this end, GBF hosted a Student Zone Road Show from 27- 28 October 2020. It was fulfilling to see the joy on the children’s faces and watch them read the books they received with excitement.
“Children are amazing and curious.
Apart from their joy of receiving gifts as books and opening them already, the warmth and assurance that we received from all the schools was nothing short of the spirit of ‘ lo amogelesigile.’’ Fulfilling about the Student Zone is the power to note and see talent among students during activations. “We saw emerging poets, story tellers and cheerful children all around. At Ramotswa Centre for the Deaf, it was a spectacle to see authors engaging fully with students through sign language interpretation. One of our great highlights was the library in Polokwe Primary School; for a book lover it is a dream come true,” she said. GBF Trust engaged three authors: Bonty Botumile, whose books are on conservation and nature, Abigail Isa who engaged students with her affirmations books and Onica Lekuntwane of the famous Mmago Rati, Mmele O Ke Wame, which is a book that explains sexual violence and exploitation on kids. They also brought on board Emmanuel Boefelo, who captivated the students with maboko, segaba, setinkane and harmonica. “All of them engaged the learners in various entertaining ways; dance, song, conversation and affirmations,” Phele said. This year’s annual GBF festivities were held virtually in September, and Phele said it was a different experience but just as engaging and impactful. GBF will be on its 4th year running next year, and Phele said each year they want to bring a rich, diverse, momentous literary experience to all book lovers. “With such unprecedented times,
GBF will adapt to the times, but we are still appealing for support from all the stakeholders to bring its mandate to reality and to the rest of Botswana.”