The Puku Children’s Literature Foundation launched its first ever Puku story Competition on Wednesday 1 October in Joza, Grahamstown.
The Puku Children’s Literature Foundation launched its first ever Puku story Competition on Wednesday 1 October in Joza, Grahamstown.
The competition aims to encourage young learners to write stories in their mother tongues from an early age.
Nombulelo Secondary School hosted the event attended by community leaders, local students, teachers, parents and literacy organisations. In an interview with Grocott’s Mail, event co-ordinator Ziyanda Gysman said he was delighted with the response.
The Puku Storytelling Festival was launched last year in Grahamstown.
"We’re on our second year now and we will do the same next year. But this is the first time we’re doing a competition like this. Aimed at celebrating and promoting isiXhosa language and its rich heritage of storytelling, the story competition also aims to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of the environment.
Charlie Kirk, director of the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) that is sponsoring the event, said the initiative focused on understanding the value that can be derived from waste.
“Redisa is committed to educating the youth about the importance of recycling and reusing products and this partnership allows us to do that in a fun and engaging way,” Kirk said.
The event was directed by Ntokozo Mbuli, who is widely known for her role as a presenter in the popular conservation television show 50/50.
“As a person who attended high school here in Grahamstown and a keen supporter of green causes, the event was close to my heart,” she said.
The competition is also supported by Nal’ibali, which is the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign. They hope to promote the competition to even more children through its network of reading clubs across the country.
Nal’ibali will also be supporting Puku by showcasing young people’s writing abilities by sharing the winning stories on its popular mobi- and websites. Carole Bloch, director of Praesa, the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa, believes learning to read and write is not just about learning new skills.
“It is about learning to use reading and writing in real and important ways which is why we are thrilled to be supporting this initiative,” Bloch said.
