Categories: Events

Cape Town Gears Up for World Read Aloud Day 2023

Cape Town’s libraries are getting ready for World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) 2023, a global initiative that celebrates the pleasure of storytelling and the transformative effect of reading out loud. Nal’ibali, the torchbearer of this initiative in South Africa, aims to have parents, caregivers, and other participants read aloud to a minimum of three million children across the country. Libraries in Cape Town are gearing up for the event and are ready to host a series of WRAD events, with the aim of creating a joyful experience for kids and sparking an interest in reading.

What is World Read Aloud Day?

World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is a global initiative that celebrates the pleasure of storytelling and underscores the transformative effect of reading out loud. In South Africa, Nal’ibali is the torchbearer of this initiative, setting a nationwide target each year. Their goal for 2023 is to get parents, caregivers, and other participants to read aloud to a minimum of three million children across the country. Libraries in Cape Town are gearing up for the event and are ready to host a series of WRAD events.

Libraries Prepare for Literacy Event

With World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) fast approaching on February 7, 2023, there’s a sense of excitement in the air at Cape Town’s libraries. They are getting ready to unravel a countrywide campaign, with the end goal of sharing mesmerising stories with three million children. The local driver of this inspiring endeavour is none other than Nal’ibali, working together with the City’s Library and Information Services (LIS).

Started in 2010 by LIT World, WRAD is a global initiative that underscores the transformative effect of reading out loud, enhances community literacy and celebrates the captivating pleasure of storytelling. In South Africa, the torchbearer of this initiative is Nal’ibali, setting a nationwide target each year. Their goal for 2023 is both straightforward and inspiring: to get parents, caregivers, and other participants to read aloud to a minimum of three million children across the country.

LIS, a crucial partner in this literacy campaign, is ready to host a series of WRAD events in Cape Town’s libraries. The aim here is not just to focus on the act of reading but to create a joyful experience for the kids.

The Importance of Reading Aloud

Patricia van der Ross, a Council Member for Community Services and Health, stresses the importance of cultivating a reading culture, a journey that commences with the pure joy of listening to tales read out loud. She believes that an auditory journey in a story offers more than a trip into the realms of imagination. It sharpens listening skills, demonstrates language use, and improves vocabulary and comprehension, according to Van der Ross. The ripple effect of reading out loud is that it sparks an interest in children to read independently.

As part of this movement, most City libraries will organise storytelling sessions, and librarians in selected suburbs will extend their services to areas where children might face difficulties going to the library alone.

The highlight of WRAD in Cape Town will take place in the verdant setting of Green Point Park. A group of skilled storytellers will entertain 200 specially invited children with engaging tales, aiming to spark an interest in reading.

Despite the difficulties of finding time in busy schedules, Van der Ross encourages parents and caregivers to kick-start WRAD with just one story. Beyond the warmth of bonding with a child, she emphasises that reading out loud is a significant investment in a child’s education and future.

An Invitation to Support and Participate

Cape Town’s libraries, glowing with the promise of stories yet to be told, are prepared to greet young listeners. Their doors are open, and a world of narratives awaits. On this World Read Aloud Day, every word read is a seed planted in the fertile soil of a child’s mind, a potential tree of knowledge that could grow into a forest of wisdom.

If you want to support this cause and access delightful tales to read out loud on WRAD, navigate to the Nal’ibali website.

In the grand mosaic of literacy, each word spoken carries significance, and every story has value. This World Read Aloud Day, let’s unite our hands and voices in crafting a symphony of stories that will resonate in the hearts of children, today and forever.

1. What is World Read Aloud Day?

World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is a global initiative that celebrates the pleasure of storytelling and underscores the transformative effect of reading out loud.

2. What is the goal of Nal’ibali’s WRAD initiative in South Africa?

Nal’ibali’s goal for WRAD 2023 in South Africa is to have parents, caregivers, and other participants read aloud to a minimum of three million children across the country.

3. What is the role of Cape Town’s libraries in preparing for WRAD 2023?

Cape Town’s libraries are gearing up for the event and are ready to host a series of WRAD events, with the aim of creating a joyful experience for kids and sparking an interest in reading.

4. Why is reading aloud important for children?

Reading out loud sharpens listening skills, demonstrates language use, and improves vocabulary and comprehension, according to Patricia van der Ross, a Council Member for Community Services and Health. It also sparks an interest in children to read independently.