EDITORIAL: Crafting a reading culture

“Namibians don&#039;t read," they say. But they also say "leaders are readers", "education (which we often obtain through reading) is the greatest equaliser" and that reading is one of the best ways to increase your vocabulary, develop empathy and learn.So, what does that say of the Namibian youth, our leaders of tomorrow?How are we setting them up for success right now, and can we really say we&#039;re doing everything we can if we&#039;re not encouraging more young people to read? No. We can&#039;t.And we cannot change Namibia&#039;s seemingly ‘non-existent’ reading culture by simply complaining about it.If we&#039;re not investing in the arts, funding writers to create worlds beyond the endless retellings of the liberation struggle so many Namibian scribes have an affinity for and making those books accessible - not only to the affluent in expensive schools with well-stocked libraries, but to those in the lokasie glued to their phones too - we are failing our children. And if we&#039;re failing our children, we are failing our country.Namibian writers deserve the time and space and funding to learn, to study their craft, to be mentored, to focus on writing without worrying about not being able to pay their bills, and, yes, to fail. Our literature scene needs failure because it needs us to try, and to keep trying, until we get better.And it needs us to read. And to keep reading. Until we, too, get better.

EDITORIAL: Crafting a reading culture

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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EDITORIAL: Crafting a reading culture

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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