New from David Philip Publishers are Sindiwe Magona’s new children’s books Stronger Than Lion, Greedy Man, Kind Rock, The Stranger and His Flute, Nokulunga, Mother of Goodness, Buhle, the Calf of Many Colours, and The Woman on the Moon – all individually available in English, Setswana, Siswati, isiXhosa and isiZulu. To order, phone 021 467 5860 or email orders@newafricabooks.co.za.

 

South Africa lacks a widespread culture of reading, especially so in African languages. Sindiwe Magona – the prolific poet, playwright, activist and author of over 100 books for children – wants that to change.

“Literacy is the cornerstone of development,” Magona argues, “politically, socially, and economically. You must be able to read, develop critical thinking and be able to be analytical.”

It’s well-known that a habit and love of reading is easiest to develop in children at a young age. Getting kids hooked on reading, however, is completely dependent on the books that are available to them – and 70-year-old Magona believes that good quality children’s books in African languages are too difficult to find, if they are able to be found at all.