Student Writing Competition in Namibia Brings Culture into Libraries

In Windhoek, Namibia, a poetry and short story competition resulted in 20 young writers becoming a part of the country’s educational “golden pages,” as stated by Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Dawid Namwandi as he congratulated all the participants for their efforts. Emma Lirumbu, Polytechnic student, took home first place for the short story category, while Theofilus Shipanga, a student at Don Bosco Primary School, won in the poetry category.

Both Shipanga and Lirumbu’s work will be printed by Macmillan publishers and sent to every school and community library in the country, compiled into booklets. The two young writers each wrote ten or more pieces for the competition, all of which will be included in the booklets.

According to Dr. Namwandi, the competition is a response to problems in the educational system that the Education Ministry is determined to ameliorate. Schools in Namibia often have no libraries or qualified librarians, and sometimes the books they have are not in local languages, or aren’t culturally significant or interesting to students. The competition can be seen as a direct response to that, as the students themselves have come up with the material.

Creative Commons Love: Book Aid International on Flickr.com

Written by Susie Hufford