The World in Books – a project in Tanzania

Background
People in Europe generally have easy access to the world of books with a multitude of pub¬li¬ca¬tions – literature, fiction, text and reference books likewise. However, this is not so in most African countries: There are still only a few local publishers, and in par¬ticular books of  native writers and artists are rarely pub¬lished and distributed. The picture books of the Tanzanian illustrator John Kilaka («True Friends», «Fresh Fish») for example have been published in German in Switzerland and in numerous other countries and languages, but there is no edition in Swahili; and to this day, the books have not been published in Tanzania.
Literature is one of the most important forms of expression of cultural identity reflecting and shaping the values and realities of a society. This is the reason why the lack of such has a negative impact on the development of young people. And because reading skills are ra¬ted as core competence for getting good opportunities in education and career the consequences here are equally severe.

To Know One’s Own Culture
Psychosocial work places the streng¬the¬ning of the sense of self-esteem into the centre of activities in the field of deve¬lopment policies and may be seen as «transversal issue» in development co–ope¬ration. The results of various studies show that a weak sense of self-esteem is  at the root of many psychological  suf¬ferings and represents an obstacle in the social and economic development. Chil¬dren and youth who have a particular low self-esteem dispose of little «coping-mechanisms» to overcome difficult life situations, as it is often the case in every¬day life of countries with a high rate of poverty.
Therefore, strengthening the sense of self-esteem promotes the individual development as well as the building of a social community of¬fering equal opportunities to all its members on a long term. Literature as a important and vivid ex¬pression of culture and personal iden¬tity can play an important role in this process.
The Tanzanian organisation Nelico – New Light Children Center Organization – works for the disadvantaged and often traumatised groups in the Geita District in the Northwest of the country and conducts information campaigns. Nelico is an ideal partner organisation for this project, in which psychosocial support is linked to the strengthening of cultural identity and the promotion of the local writing and literature tradition.

Project Goals
•    Sensitization for the issues of «Cultural Identity» among central multipliers in the Geita District, Tanzania: Teachers, community workers, youth workers, youth groups, etc.
•    Promotion of the (cultural) self-confidence and reading skills of children and youth in the Geita District, Tanzania, by working with stories and literature, or with the oral story telling tradition respectively
•    Implementation as pilot project and reviewing of materials and experiences for later repetition of the project with other partners (eg. Manual)
•    On a long-term basis: Educational promotion and psychosocial «empowerment» in social classes which have no reading access.

Project Management
Sonja Matheson, Baobab Children’s Book Fund, Switzerland
Irene Bush, terre des hommes schweiz
John Kilaka, illustrator, Tanzania
Paulina Alex, Nelico, Mwansa