‘It’s An Opportunity To Shop For Books In One Place’

This is a continuation of the ‘World Book Capital 2014 Bid Summary’ started last Monday. Read on.

Culture, Tradition and African Literary Renaissance: A Roundtable Discussion with Young African Authors’: prominent Nigerian author will be invited to deliver a keynote address on this subject and this would be followed by a discussion by young African authors on the role of culture in literary traditions and its impact on the successive generations of writers. At the end of the discussion, a communiqué for action would be issued.

– The first Book-of-the Month (for May) will be announced during these events.

Closing Events

In the week leading up to World Book and Copyright Day 2015, Port Harcourt will again hold events to round off the World Book Capital year activities and initiatives. This celebration will feature:

– Port Harcourt World Book Capital Awards: in recognition of the role they have played to ensure the success of the yearlong programme and in promoting the books as our window to a world of opportunities, awards would be given to deserving individuals, schools, libraries, media, civil society organizations and other strategic partners.

–           Youth Exhibition: an exhibition entitled ‘Possibilities’ will showcase writings, poems and artwork by children and the youth that have been inspired by the theme of the World Book Capital.

– ‘The Book Leads Us Forward;” this drama presentation will be the concluding part of the ‘Along Came the Book’. Futuristic in nature, it will outline the lessons learnt from the yearlong activities and how these translate into possibilities for the future, with the book as a fundamental tool for social development and social change.

– ‘Sustaining the Legacy’ Symposium: will bring together all stakeholders who have been involved in the project from the onset in frank and open discussions on the future of the project beyond 2014 and make concrete plans on how to sustain the momentum and impact, going forward.

– Scaling and Enhancing Existing Initiatives

– Featuring the ‘book-of-the-month’: in each month of the World Book Capital year, a book would be chosen as the book-of-the-month. This book would be the focus of discussion in book clubs, as well as television and radio shows. Highlights of the various discussions would be collated and a communiqué issued with ideas of how lessons from the book-of-the-month can translate into possibilities in society.

– Running book clubs: existing book clubs around the city will be identified and supported and new ones will be set up to encourage regular reading and sharing with a focus on a Book-of-the-Month. This would then generate discussion around those books which should lead to thought or action that can improve society. A parallel online book club would run throughout the World Book Capital year. The book-of-the-month will address different age and reading levels.

– Meet the author: Each month, the author of the book-of-the-month will be invited to visit the city of Port Harcourt to interact with readers and do book signings. Participants will be able to interact with the author and engage them in discussions on the book.

– Leaders Read: Role models and popular icons from sports, film, politics, the private sector and academia, among others, will be invited to read to children from the book-of-the-month. This would also be a forum for mentoring and career guidance for participants.

– Garden City Literary Festival: In 2014, Port Harcourt will celebrate the 7th hosting of the Garden City Literary Festival. This festival is an important fixture in the Nigerian literary calendar, and we expect the 2014 edition to have an even bigger audience. This weeklong festival features an array of local, national and international writers and their works. It will explore the major themes of the World Book Capital programme with a diversity of participants from across the continent, events for children, writers’ workshops, drama performances and symposia.

Garden City Book Fair: The Garden City Book Fair holds during the GCLF. It features booksellers, publishers, and bookshops from across the country. It offers an opportunity for schools, libraries, organisations and individuals to shop for a variety of books in one place. Book signings by invited authors are a key feature at the book fair.

Rainbow Reading Tree: This is a graded reading scale which encourages youngsters to read a book a week over the year. As participants climb the tree, and successfully complete stipulated books appropriate to their age group at the required time, they would receive rewards/recognition.

New Activities

– Library Support Programme: the Rivers State Government has recently renovated over 100 public primary and secondary schools and each of these schools is equipped with a modern library. A book donation programme will be set up and individuals, faith-based organisations and private organizations would be encouraged to donate books or funds which would be given to these libraries. Also part of this drive would be to solicit for volunteers to teach in an adult literacy programme which can be hosted in the public libraries. This would open a world of opportunities for knowledge acquisition and information for the illiterate adult population. The programme would also develop an adult literacy manual and a training kit for volunteers who are committed to teaching people for all ages to read.

– Books on the Radio: recognizing the importance of the radio in Nigeria and other developing economies in reaching millions of people, the committee will leverage a local radio station’s weekly book club show, ensuring that the selected book-of-the-month is feature so as to get the entire city reading and discussing the same book. The book’s author will be invited to participate in the on-air discussions where listeners will be invited to call in with their questions, comments and observations.

– Television Show: a TV game show will be introduced in April 2014 and would run for the duration of the year. Patterned after the popular TV show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’, the show will feature questions on literature, with particular emphasis to the book-of-the-month. The game show will be interactive and ensure audience participation.

– Monthly drama performances: the book-of-the-month will be adapted for a stage drama by the youth, children, and local theatre groups. Each of these groups would take turns throughout the year to put up a presentation during the month when the book is being read.

– The Walking Book: ‘The Walking Book’ is a creation of a communal story in the spirit of storytelling and oral traditions. The story will be passed from school to school over the course of the year with each school adding this own chapter. The book will be edited by eminent scholars and published towards the end of World Book Capital year. The ‘Walking Book’ will encourage young people to write and also to collaborate and share the lessons of life with each other. It is also an opportunity for students to come together in the spirit of unity and peace to create a tale ‘like no other’.

– Ken Saro-Wiwa Writer/Martyr Memorial Square: as part of the World Book Capital activities will be the establishment of the Ken Saro-Wiwa Writer/Martyrs Memorial Square to be located in a central point in Port Harcourt. The square will commemorate the life and work this illustrious writer and environmental activist who was brutally murdered in 1995 by the military government of the time. Apart from this, it will serve as a worthy commendation and celebration for other fallen Nigerian writers. The day would also be marked by symposia and discussions.

– Introduction of a writer’s residency: the World Book Capital year would be an opportunity to introduce a writers’ residency programme. Applications would be invited from established and aspiring writers to a one-year residency programme in Port Harcourt at the end of which they would be expected to write stories with themes on ‘possibilities’ for the Niger Delta. These stories would be published in an anthology.

– Essay Contest: as Nigeria turns 100, Port Harcourt will launch a nation-wide essay contest. The winner of the contest will have the unique opportunity of presenting his or her paper during the World Bank Book Capital closing ceremonies in March 2015.

– ‘Integration into existing state events: Major events in the annual cultural calendar of the city, such as CARNIRIV, the Rivers State Carnival, would feature the theme of the World Book Capital.

Conformity With UNESCO Principles

The planned activity programme and all its components are in conformity with the principles of freedom of expression, freedom to publish and to distribute information, as stated in the UNESCO Constitution. This includes the Principle of Non-Discrimination, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of association. The United Nations Education Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) in its established legal foundations supports the freedom to publish and distribute information without any hindrance. They are also in strict conformity of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Articles 19 and 27. Distinctly and specifically, the UNESCO principles are particular on the principle of non-discrimination, equality of opportunity and treatment, universal access to education and the principle of solidarity.

This proposal being submitted in support of the city of Port Harcourt being selected as the World Book Capital for the year 2014 will endeavour to comply with all the principles stated above. This proposal, in its concepts and themes is geared towards the cultural education of society employing the concept of culture, creativity and memory with relations to achieving order both in thought and in action by a wide range of organisations and individuals towards which this project is targeted. The authors, icons, government institutions, students and ordinary lovers of literature and arts will share and benefit from the activities and programmes arising out of the themes, the concept and motifs of the proposal.

This proposal pays special attention to mental and cognitive development as a major outcome of literary enterprises by promoting dialogues and discourses across several regions in Africa and the world throughout the period in which Port Harcourt will serve as the World Book Capital.

Being mindful of the fact that writers all over the world are mostly in danger due to the peculiar nature of their profession, the proposal for Port Harcourt as the World Book Capital of 2014 lays emphasis on the protection of the rights of writers and book publishing companies in line with their fundamental right to publish and distribute cultural and educational materials. The programme on copyright, piracy and sanctity of the written word in Nigeria will draw attention to the dignity of the end product of literary activities to the extent that they are protected and their values restored appropriately within the confines of the time and energy devoted to their production.