Teens in the Tent

What struck me this year is how many teenagers are interested in what we are doing at the tent and the library in general. We generally target the younger group, but it is the 14 to 18 year old that are asking us to engage them. 

And rightly so, they are intelligent, fascinating and interesting. Today, one young lady, Chipo,  bowled me over with a poem from the heart. The energy and idas from the youth needs harnessed. I promise that next year in the tent there will be a better balance of activities for the younger and older youth.
How exciting.
Here are some more pictures from today:
Pamela Chituri of the dynamic Paruware Trust reading and exploring with the wee one reading and doing puzzles.

Charmaine Mujeri (poet, actress, budding writer, manager of the afro pop group Mafriq,  a member of Women Film Makers of Zimbabwe and Project Developer of the Let Them Trust) drawing out the talent from the teens.

Committee members Memory and TG getting involved and supporting the whole outreach.

Library staff Rossa, Levinia and Phiona taking care of the information stand. 

Friday afternoon at the ZIBF

Hearts were racing, the clock was ticking, small dust devils rush past......its was 2.45pm and there was NOONE in the children's reading tent.

OH MY GOSH - there was Deborah, Maria (the swedish ambassadors wife), then the Swedish Ambasador and I twiddling our thumbs...

Of course, its the middle of the school term..not the usual end of term when families are free to visit in the afternoons. Most of the school goers were being bussed back to school or pick-up points. We had no idea if there were any young people left to hear our tales of Sweden and Scotland.

But FEAR NOT, good people, for the lighties did decend upon us. After a little marketeering around the stands, we rounded up a bunch of suitable candidates..and the storytelling began.

Here are some pictures from the afternoon. SUCH FUN!

Who's in charge of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair?

Its ZIBF time again and I got soooo excited because that means the childrens reading tent --oooooooh!

So I started jumping around, got some banners made for story telling, some book marks for new members, flyers and pens for anyone who joins at the ZIBF AND found some lovely people to come and read. I LOVE volunteers.

I worked with Takwana at the library to put together a fun filled programme. 

Then I turned up today with the banners, some crayons and paper and stuff to get the tent going and it was like the set of a western movie just before the stand off...desolate!


Ever optimistic I will press on. 

But I have to say this, no shout it.....THE ZIBF IS AN EVENT!


It is not a book, 
or a poem 
or an academic tome. 

An event is run by marketeers. Let's get the important and the interesting right here when appointing organisers. I know it is a voluntary post (so little is our nations value on books), but gee whizz, give a PR person the post and then their own livelihood is at stake if they get it wrong...

Food for thought ZIBF.