Reading and writing in the modern world

Evany van Wyk

Writing and reading has become a dreaded part of life for schoolgoing children. Somehow technology has stripped our youth of their love for literature and now there is widely spread doubt about the reading ability of Namibian youth.

Gone are the times one used to get lost in a story world, where you would force our eyes to stay open just be able to find out how the book was going to end.

It seems that nowadays time is spent in front of the television and our eyes glued to smartphone screens. All creative thought is being thrown out the window.

The main question is: Are out youth able to read and write well?

“The main objective of the National Literacy Programme was to enhance literacy amongst Namibian citizens,” says Mzingisi Gqwede, the director of adult education in the education ministry.

According to him the prime aim was to enable members of the community - both adults and out-of-school youth - to acquire knowledge, skills and positive attitudes. This will allow them to participate in social and economic activities that may ultimately improve their lives.

Reading and writing from a young age

This year people are actually buying books. This is an unexpected turn of events in the 21st century, where everything seems to be about the internet. Yes, Namibia’s literacy rate has increased, with the adult literacy rate at 90.8% of the population in 2015. However, the youth literacy rate has decreased since 1991. Are people still reading for leisure purposes or is it simply because they have to? The Namibia Children Writing Competition recently took place and The Zone spoke to the founder of the competition, Ndahafa Hapulile. She started the competition hoping to promote a culture of reading and writing in Namibia.

“I felt we were doing very little to stimulate growth, creativity and research,” says Hapulile. She added her aim was to create a platform for children to tap into their creativity and foster a relationship between themselves and literature. “The current education system does not inspire creativity, it only teaches you to memorise, consume and recite information,” said Hapulile. She also said investing in youth and adult education is a key component of strategies to promote sustainable development.

Author tells of personal experiences

The Zone spoke to Clarice Theys, a Namibian author who recently launched her second book. She also gave The Zone her opinion on youth interest in literature. “I think that the youth in particular and the nation as a whole, do not read as much as one would have loved them to,” says Theys. She said Namibia seems to lack well-developed national literature with a voice of its own. She longs for the day when she’ll enter a bookstore in Namibia to see that most books on the shelves are those of our own writers. “My encouragement to all aspiring writers, and even those don’t want to be writers, is to tell their stories. Seek the company of published authors and be willing to invest in your creation,” says Theys. She took it upon herself to publish her book and says it was not easy financially; thus she also wants more publishers to come forward and help young writers while they still have the dream.

From a teenager’s point of view

The modern teenager’s devotion to their smartphones has seriously changed how reading is perceived. Here’s how the excuses go: I really can’t read because it strains my eyes. It’s so boring, there are no pictures, etc.

This despite the fact that looking at a screen is much more staining for the eyes. Yes, they might be more attracted to visual things, such as pictures and videos, but smartphones are making it way too easy for them to simply swipe away from something that is in words.

Leilani Louw, a grade 11 learner at M&K Gertze High School in Rehoboth, gave The Zone a better youth perspective. Louw describes herself as a bookworm that reads a lot, whether it be for the fun of it or for educational purposes.

She, however, has noticed her classmates are not interested in the same thing.

“Not everyone likes reading, however, it should be seen as an investment towards more knowledge,” says Louw.

She thinks youth interest in reading as well as writing can be revived if they are informed of the endless benefits it can mean for their future.

Literacy, in particular, is a prerequisite for poverty reduction, human development and peace. What happens if there is absolutely no interest from the youth to gain knowledge? In order to achieve our objectives, the love for reading and writing needs to be examined and invested in.