Reading writes new life chapters
Council aims to give more South Africans access to the power of books, writes Lesley Stones
A book, the way Elitha van der Sandt describes it, is the gateway to a magical future; a place of big dreams and glorious possibilities, where even a girl from Mitchells Plain can rise to become a CEO. Van der Sandt was that girl from the township, led out of it on a path paved by the education and inspiration she found in literature to become CEO of the South African Book Development Council. Part of her job is to make sure that books give millions of other children the same horizon-opening opportunities. "I’m from Mitchells Plain – I come from the worst conditions possible and I know the conditions that 80% of the population comes from," she says. "A book allows you to imagine a different world, travel to different places, so you know the circumstances you find yourself in don’t have to stay that way. You are able to see more." A new study for the council shows that only 14% of South Africans are committed book readers. Van der Sandt can’t say how that compares with more developed...
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