Stellar Line-Up at Cape Flats Book Festival

The second Cape Flats Book Festival took place on 15-16 October 2022 at West End Primary School in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain. The festival was hosted by literacy NGO Read to Rise and this year’s book festival is sponsored by the Western Cape Government, Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports, West End Primary School and Old Mutual.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, Read to Rise Chairman Nicholas Williams and West End Primary School Mr Clive Arries attended the opening ceremony.

The first-ever Cape Flats Book Festival took place in September 2019. “With the pandemic, Read to Rise sadly was not able to have the book festival in 2020 and 2021, so we are so happy to be able to host the book festival this year and we have an amazing line-up of authors, poets and illustrators.” says Taryn Lock, Executive Director.

This year the programme included Patric Tariq Mellet, Yusuf Daniels, Sara-Jayne Makwala King, Joy Watson, Malika Ndlovu, Riaan Manser, Andre Trantraal, creators of Kwezi Comics, Karina Szczurek, Nancy Richards, Blaq Pearl, Chelsea Goliath, Shana Fife, to name a few.

There were 32 sessions over the 2 days with 55 speakers. There were information sessions about self-publishing, a poetry and identity workshop (by Life Righting Collective) and the Oaky Puppet Show. There were exhibitors with books and food on sale - fun for both adults and children.

“The Cape Flats Book Festival is rewriting the narrative of the Cape Flats by bringing stories, ideas and dreams to life. We are recasting literary festivals as events relevant and accessible to everyone. We are building bridges between communities. Our mission is to explicitly bring SA’s authors and publishers to the Cape Flats and to showcase the Cape Flats’ authors. These two worlds, so often structurally divided, are brought together at the festival.” says Read to Rise Co-Founder Athol Williams.

The Cape Flats Book Festival brings children and adults together around books - the best way to inspire to read is for them to see adults reading. It also facilitates economic opportunities for book sellers, publishers, food sellers and authors.

READ to RISE, founded in 2013, is a non-profit orgranisation that promotes youth literacy in under-resourced communities in South Africa. We hope to inspire children to read so that they can ‘rise’ above their circumstances. To date, the organisation has conducted over 5,900 class programmes and given out over 261,000 new story books to children around South Africa.

For more information or if you would like to assist READ to RISE in promoting youth literacy, please visit www.capeflatsbookfestival.com or email info@readtorise.co.za

Celebrating International Literacy Day at Nebo Primary School

To celebrate International Literacy Day, READ to RISE partnered with GrandWest on 8 September 2022 to bring the joy of reading to Nebo Primary School in Ravensmead in Cape Town.

Sadly 78% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning.

READ to RISE promotes literacy in under-resourced communities in South Africa. The organisation conducts class programmes, gives books to children to own and places classroom Mini-Libraries in classes. To date, the organisation has conducted over 5,700 class programmes and given out over 255,000 new story books.

313 Grade 2, 3 and 4 learners benefitted from the READ to RISE class programme and received a brand new Oaky book to take home. Nine classes also receive a Mini-Library for their class with 50 story books.

It was a great day! The children had so much fun and love their new books. Thank you to Grand West for sponsoring these learners at Nebo Primary School!

If you would like to make a difference and help learners get excited about reading, please email info@readtorise.co.za

Children at Tshebedisanong Primary School receive books for Mandela Month

In celebration of Mandela Month, non-profit organisations Read to Rise and Impilo Collection Foundation teamed up to inspire learners at Tshebedisanong Primary School in Soweto. Each of the Grade 3 and 4 learners received a new story book to take home.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” ~Nelson Mandela

For Mandela Month, literacy non-profit organisation Read to Rise partnered with Impilo Collection Foundation on Friday 29 July 2022 to help 75 Grade 3 and 4 learners at Tshebedisanong Primary School in Soweto, Johannesburg. Impilo Collection Foundation volunteers joined Read to Rise at the school visit to read to the children and hand out books. This partnership was supported through the generosity of Connected Devices who sponsored the books for the learners.

In addition, the South African College of Applied Psychology also attended the school visit to provide free learner consultation and play therapy.

Read to Rise started in 2013 to promote youth literacy in under-resourced communities in South Africa. The organisation hopes to inspire children to read by conducting class programmes and giving new story books to children to own. The organisation currently works with 77 primary schools in Mitchells Plain and Soweto and to date have given out over 255,000 new story books.

“The pandemic has made the learning environment for children in Soweto even more challenging, hence why we are grateful to organisations like Impilo Foundation for giving of their time to join the school visit to read our learners at Tshebedisanong Primary School.” says Taryn Lock, Read to Rise Executive Director. ‘We try to encourage learners to read, so that they can ‘rise’ above their circumstances.”

Impilo Collection Foundation hopes to inspire people to make a difference in society through storytelling and shared experiences of the youth and professionals. The Foundation also had volunteers at a school in Randburg on the day.

Impilo Collection Foundation Founder, Angela Yeung, said “We believe education is the key for uprooting people from poverty, therefore finding ways to drive literacy is high on our agenda and through partnering with valuable organisations like Read to Rise to #EmpowerThem.”

Read to Rise plans to visit 30 primary schools in Soweto during the second half of 2022 to conduct their class programmes where each Grade 3 and 4 learner will receive a new story book. The organisation relies on donations from the public. For only R50, you can sponsor a learner. Give the of reading, for more information about READ to RISE or to donate, please visit https://www.readtorise.co.za

If you would like more information about Impilo Collection Foundation, please visit https://impilofoundation.co.za/