ONLINE CLUB MAKES READING A COOL THING
It’s National Book Week. Nontando Mposo talks to an entrepreneur who is using social media to promote African writing and a culture of reading
THE GOVERNMENT and corporates have to invest more money in initiatives and projects that encourage the culture of reading in South Africa, says Tebogo Ditshego, chairman of the online initiative Read a Book SA.
“They also need to invest in ensuring we produce more African stories so that young people can be encouraged to read stories which are relevant to them.”
The theme of International Literacy Day, marked yesterday, is Literacy and Sustainable Societies – encouraging people worldwide to recognise literacy as a key driver for sustainable development.
“I strongly believe that the government needs to help rescue the book industry by eliminating VAT on books,” said Ditshego. “Books are too expensive, mainly because only 500 000-plus South Africans buy books from bookstores. By eliminating VAT, it would make leisure books more affordable for the ordinary South African and we would see an increase in sales.”
Ditshego, president and chief executive officer of Ditshego Media, founded Read a Book SA in 2012 to inspire young people to read at least one book a month. Since then, the project, which was launched on Twitter, has grown into the country’s biggest online book club, with more than 30 000 followers.
Ditshego, 30, who grew up in Kagiso on the West Rand, has been recognised by Forbes as one of 30 African entrepreneurs under the age of 30 who are game-changers in their fields.
“We see Read a Book SA as a disruptive innovation, and essentially we’re making it more convenient for book lovers to interact about their current reading material,” says Ditshego.
“There are over 18 million South Africans on social media, so by utilising Twitter and Facebook we are making it easier for them to be a part of a book club.”
Followers are encouraged to read a book a month and then “twitpic” a mini review of the book, as well as recommend books to other followers.
“We started out simply by inviting people to check out the initiative. Read a Book SA is a catchy name, and it wasn’t the first time I had started a popular social media campaign. I had already gained the necessary insights from studying communications at the University of Johannesburg and also from having marketing experience, so I was confident that it would become as big as it is today,” he explains.
Encouraged by his parents, Ditshego started reading books at a young age.
“The seeds that made me an avid reader were planted when my mother Elsie Ditshego was pregnant. While she was studying at tertiary level, she would read out loud to me. When I was born, my interest in reading books for leisure was also inspired by my father Sam Ditshego, who so loves reading that he built a library in our home,” he says.
“I enjoy reading because it helps me in my career. My vocabulary, concentration span and creativity constantly improve due to reading books, and with the hectic schedule which comes with being an entrepreneur, it also helps to reduce stress.”
Ditshego often reads three books simultaneously and it takes him about two weeks to finish a book. He is currently reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and The New Korea: An Inside Look at South Korea’s Economic Rise by Myung Oak Kim and Sam Jaffe.
Read a Book SA has partnered with Vodacom, which has financed eReader libraries in their communication centres across the country, making reading more accessible to people.
The library is equipped with a series of Kindle eBooks recommended by the Read a Book community and is free to the public.
“In future we’re planning on building mobile applications where users can access reading material at a minimal fee if we obtain enough commitment from potential sponsors,” says Ditshego. Follow Read a Book SA on Twitter at @ReadaBookSA
I enjoy reading because it helps me in my career. My vocabulary, concentration span and creativity constantly improve due to reading books