Cape Town, South Africa, 07 May 2020: National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words online storytelling event continues to provide some of South Africa’s best known raconteurs a platform to engage South Africans with stories of hope in this period of lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. Malefu returns on the weekend to take South Africans on another enthralling ride with two stories, Tselane in Sesotho, and Why porcupine has quills in English.
The weekly event hosted by South Africa’s annual reading awareness week, National Book Week (NBW), dedicated to encouraging leisure reading and promoting the importance of books has been inviting one storyteller every weekend since the lockdown began in March for a live event to tell kids an interesting story including from their own books.
NBW is a joint initiative of the South African Book Development Council (SABDC) and The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC).
"Saturday morning storytelling brings fun for kids as they are confined to being indoors. It also allows us to learn about each other through the stories being told. We will continue to bring different cultures and languages to the screen and invite parents along for the journey. Stories are unifying, and the more we know about each other, the more cohesive we will be as a nation,” says Elitha van der Sandt, CEO, SABDC.
“Books Beyond Words allows us to continue spreading the wonder of stories, making beautiful memories in the times of Covid-19. Our commitment to the storytelling sessions is testament to our belief that books are an unequalled investment in the human mind and spirit. It is in this spirit that we invest in storytellers every week, as we contribute to income generation for our artists in small ways. Our artists need to continue creating during these trying times, for it is they who will record the unfolding history and leave an imprint for generations to come.”
Malefu’s stories are informed by every day experiences of society both past and present and she has a unique ability to fuel characters that audiences can actually feel as she narrates.
She is also a research student of African Languages (Linguistics and Literatures) and National Research Fund recipient. Her aim is to use storytelling as a means of educating, entertaining, and language preservation and development. Malefu writes and presents stories that can be told in Sesotho, Setswana, and English.
She will be live this weekend i.e. Saturday, 09 May on NBW’s Facebook page at 11:00am.
If you are watching the event for the first time, look out for Wazi, a carton character developed by the National Department of Health, who pops around on the screen between stories to encourage little ones to stay home and stay safe.
"Books Beyond Words was initiated to help parents and children cope with the uncertainty of the unprecedented and unscripted time in our lives as well as remind all South Africans of the power of books and stories,” says van der Sandt in conclusion.
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