Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Promoting a culture of reading
A HUB of knowledge and a sacred space for reading, learning and expanding your horizon. This is a brief description of soon-to-be launched Lumkile’s Book Joint in Gugulethu.
When the founder of the space where young and old can gather to read and share a wide spectrum of literature decided it was time to share his 28 years worth of books he had collected along the way. It was not an easy decision, but one Lumkile Mzukwa made with love and hope for his community.
“I was always afraid that my books would be stolen but yet, I wanted to somehow share my rich collection. There is little to no reading culture in our communities. There is a culture of dancing, music and drinking and I want to show the people of my neighbourhood that there is more that one can find and gain through reading so I decided to create this warm space to allow people to come here, sit for a few hours, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a good book,” he said.
The launch of Lumkile’s Book Joint was postponed on Freedom Day because of the lockdown.
“We don’t have a new date yet but when the day comes, it is going to be a spectacular day.”
Mzukwa, 50, was born in Gugulethu, he said he realised from a young age that reading would be a better way to spend his spare time as a teenager.
“I must have been 13 or 14 when I decided that I would not fall into the trap of peer pressure. We all grew up poor but yet somehow we managed to make fun of our situations. I decided that I was not benefiting from that so I pulled away and found love between the covers of second-hand books and Reader’s Digest magazines I would find at Cafda in Claremont,” he said.
The first book Mzukwa bought was titled Black Resistance to Apartheid by Mokgethi Motlhabi, in 1991. Though he couldn’t read English fluently at the time, “I just had to buy it, it was of great interest to me”, he said. The great lover and follower of Greek and Roman literature told Weekend Argus he has never stopped buying books since.
His wife’s collection ranges from politics, African history and philosophy, Greek and Roman literature and novels. Mzukwa also believes that his book joint will not only open the doors to new literature for some, but it will also create a revenue stream for his unemployed neighbours.
“Many people in my community are unemployed, it is therefore, important to me to work with my community. While patrons spend time relaxing with a good book they can have their car washed outside, that for me is an important way of ensuring that not only are the unemployed youth in my area managing to put bread on the table but also my patrons get the best of both while enjoying some downtime,” he said.
Mzukwa also told Weekend Argus that his book joint will also be a platform for authors to launch their books, host debates, host music sessions and so much more.
“This is the first of its kind,” said the bookworm.