Soccer fever can be seen throughout Grahamstown every Friday – but the South African Library for the
Blind has the fever all week long! If you don’t believe it, cast your eyes up High Street and see for yourself.
Soccer fever can be seen throughout Grahamstown every Friday – but the South African Library for the
Blind has the fever all week long! If you don’t believe it, cast your eyes up High Street and see for yourself.
On Tuesday, 4 May the SALB erected a six metre long banner on the front of its building in anticipation of the Soccer World Cup 2010 and to demonstrate their support for our soccer boys.
It reads: “LADUUUMA Bafana Bafana.” This banner is by no means the end of the SALB’s celebrations of the fast approaching event.
Every Friday, like most of Grahamstown’s establishments, SALB staff members are dressed in their best supporters and playing gear, not only for the love of the game but to actually play the game.
Every Friday afternoon energy levels of all staff are elevated considerably. With the weather as no deterrent, the game continues.
When the sun shines, the parking lot becomes a top class field and teams fight for territory, with only short breaks to fetch wayward balls in trees or over fences.
When much needed rain sets in over town, the SALB lecture room is transformed into an indoor stadium, where the soccer spirit remains only the rules are altered slightly.
The game then becomes blind soccer, where the playing field is leveled by blindfolding the players, with the exception of one person on each team, who calls the shots from opposite sides of the field.
The SALB’s mission is to provide a national and international library and information service to blind and printhandicapped people.
The library has also added a number of soccer related Braille and audio books to its growing collection. In this manner, the institution contributes to the quality of life of blind and print-handicapped people by encouraging independence through access to information and bring them the enjoyment of recreational reading, in both Braille and audio format.
With a current membership of over 3 500 members, braille and audio books and magazines are enjoyed across South Africa. You can also find SALB on Facebook.
