Old books and new

PERHAPS he meant to say something different, but I was quite astounded this week to read that Elia Kaiyamo, Chair of the Namibia Library and Information Council, and also Swapo MP, was expressing ‘shock’ at the high number of “outdated” books found in libraries across the country, some going as far back as 1948!

I mean, a book is a book is a book, and in my view its value increases with age. OLD books, new books, any books.If only Namibians would adopt a reading culture, I’m sure we’d be immeasurably better off as a country with an educated populace.Kaiyamo was speaking at a function featuring a donation by the United States to the Walvis Bay public library this week.Of course, the issue is not whether many of the books are old, but why the Ministry of Education doesn’t allocate substantially more money to buy new books and more books.There is hardly a book budget to speak of.And, while we may praise Government for a huge allocation to the Ministry of Education, most of it goes on salaries which rather defeats the object and the money never gets to where it is most needed.Books are not high on the agenda of most Namibians, unfortunately.It seems we’ve become very materialistic and only DSTVs or DVDs will do – a sad reflection that many people mainly access their information in this way.A reading culture, and books, remain very low on the list of priorities.Anyone who’s been burgled knows that no thief is going to raid the bookshelf and this fact perhaps proves my point! Further to the book issue, it has to be said that, when we have resources, scant though they may be, we should look after them.It is horrifying to note how these are abused.Build a new stadium in Oshakati, and before long the seats are broken and parts vandalised.Accepted, the place was shoddily built in the first place, but there is still no excuse for this sort of pillaging.Likewise, one reads frequently of vandalism at schools or at new tourist facilities.Namibians will fast be getting a reputation in this regard: you name it, we’ll steal it.And even worse perhaps, if we can’t steal it, we’ll destroy it.Kaiyamo also went on to say that not only the youth but parents need to read.Nice thought, but I think his wish is largely an illusion.It is not as if people who have never read books will suddenly start doing so, which is why we need to promote this culture among our youth.I also totally agree with him that Government should ratify the Florence Agreement and abolish Customs duties and other restrictive measures on educational, scientific and cultural materials.In this way, such materials may become less expensive, because even the most prolific readers in this country cannot read as much as they like, with libraries dormant to dead or non-existent in certain areas, and books very costly to buy.In my view, reading underpins just about everything.Identify all the dumbos out there – in politics, in government, wherever they may find themselves – and invariably they are not readers.They are not people keen to expand their minds in the literary sense, deepen their knowledge about the world around them, or simply intent on plain and simple self-improvement.Formal education is one thing, but it is not quite enough to fully round off an individual.Reading complements self-development, and people who do so are usually easy to spot.What point, you may say, is there in having hundreds of libraries, and a wealth of books in this country? To make them as accessible as possible.Not only non-fiction or educational books, but fiction as well.Those who at least want to make the effort to improve their minds should be given the opportunity to do so.If it were possible, I’d make reading compulsory for all.We manage to make people pay their taxes, get their car licences, register their births and deaths, so why not make them read, too? I’d guarantee we’d be much better off in the long run.And,while we’re about it, we should hang onto and cherish the older books, for their value only increases with age, for research and other purposes. OLD books, new books, any books. If only Namibians would adopt a reading culture, I’m sure we’d be immeasurably better off as a country with an educated populace. Kaiyamo was speaking at a function featuring a donation by the United States to the Walvis Bay public library this week. Of course, the issue is not whether many of the books are old, but why the Ministry of Education doesn’t allocate substantially more money to buy new books and more books. There is hardly a book budget to speak of. And, while we may praise Government for a huge allocation to the Ministry of Education, most of it goes on salaries which rather defeats the object and the money never gets to where it is most needed. Books are not high on the agenda of most Namibians, unfortunately. It seems we’ve become very materialistic and only DSTVs or DVDs will do – a sad reflection that many people mainly access their information in this way. A reading culture, and books, remain very low on the list of priorities. Anyone who’s been burgled knows that no thief is going to raid the bookshelf and this fact perhaps proves my point! Further to the book issue, it has to be said that, when we have resources, scant though they may be, we should look after them. It is horrifying to note how these are abused. Build a new stadium in Oshakati, and before long the seats are broken and parts vandalised. Accepted, the place was shoddily built in the first place, but there is still no excuse for this sort of pillaging. Likewise, one reads frequently of vandalism at schools or at new tourist facilities. Namibians will fast be getting a reputation in this regard: you name it, we’ll steal it. And even worse perhaps, if we can’t steal it, we’ll destroy it. Kaiyamo also went on to say that not only the youth but parents need to read. Nice thought, but I think his wish is largely an illusion. It is not as if people who have never read books will suddenly start doing so, which is why we need to promote this culture among our youth. I also totally agree with him that Government should ratify the Florence Agreement and abolish Customs duties and other restrictive measures on educational, scientific and cultural materials. In this way, such materials may become less expensive, because even the most prolific readers in this country cannot read as much as they like, with libraries dormant to dead or non-existent in certain areas, and books very costly to buy. In my view, reading underpins just about everything. Identify all the dumbos out there – in politics, in government, wherever they may find themselves – and invariably they are not readers. They are not people keen to expand their minds in the literary sense, deepen their knowledge about the world around them, or simply intent on plain and simple self-improvement. Formal education is one thing, but it is not quite enough to fully round off an individual. Reading complements self-development, and people who do so are usually easy to spot. What point, you may say, is there in having hundreds of libraries, and a wealth of books in this country? To make them as accessible as possible. Not only non-fiction or educational books, but fiction as well. Those who at least want to make the effort to improve their minds should be given the opportunity to do so. If it were possible, I’d make reading compulsory for all. We manage to make people pay their taxes, get their car licences, register their births and deaths, so why not make them read, too? I’d guarantee we’d be much better off in the long run. And,while we’re about it, we should hang onto and cherish the older books, for their value only increases with age, for research and other purposes.