A man whose details I do not have, called Francis Gay had this to say: “The rain may fall, the wind may howl, the night may murky be, but what care I for wet or dry;” I read and read, adventure far, stride down the years and find romance and thrill on sea or hill—a book: and life seems kind!”
How many of us Malawians experience such feeling about books and reading. Alas, apparently not very many of us. The consensus is that in Malawi the reading culture is very low. This is a contributory factor to the economic, social and technological backwardness of our country. This is the age of knowledge, economies, knowledge discovered in one country or part of the globe spreads elsewhere through books. In developed countries, there are professional translators, a book published in German, French Russia or other languages is soon translated into English and vice-versa.
In the globe economy of today, people who don’t read foreign books to get acquainted with what others know, sooner or later discover that they are the tail of the economic and scientific race.
The need for developing a reading culture in Malawi is felt in some parts of our society but no-one seems keen to resume the responsibility of activating it as the Ngaunje of the National Library used to feel and do.
What sort of books must you read? First read those books which concern your vocation or profession. The passing of an examination does not mean you have acquired all the knowledge there is, not even if you have been awarded a PhD. The most successful are those who keep reading, researching in their chosen field while working. It is these people who introduce innovations, invention and write great books.
Secondly, with a certain amount of concentration to shield yourself from the dangers of overspecialisation. An educated person is expected to know something about other walks of life or fields, enough so that if he needs information or assistance he should know where he or she can get it.
Thirdly, read books or journals for entertainment such as novels, poetry, biographies. But do not develop the habit of reading only fiction. It is unwise to build one’s life on mere imagination. Be part of society. When we read the plays of Shakespeare we realise he was well-versed in fields other than literature and that is why what he wrote has appealed to many generations of people. Wide reading helped him to understand human nature.
Among those who should encourage the reading culture are publishers, book sellers, writers associations, and education authorities. It is high time Malawi had an organisation corresponding to Britain’s Royal Society of Arts which would encourage the growth of knowledge. Civil servants are too busy with routine work by which their performance is assessed. People who have the ability to lead others should launch a society for the advancement of knowledge in Malawi.
Those who do not habitually read books should first be given pocket size books. I remember with nostaligia when during secondary school days you would come across six penny books on variety of subjects such as biographies of Thomas Edison, David Livingstone, Florence Nightingate, or Islam, Christianity, they whetted our appetite for bigger books. Voluminous books intimidate those who rarely read any kind of book.
Another method for building the reading habit is to institute prizes for readers. Annually there should be competition in which competitors submit summaries of the books they have read, both fiction and non-fiction.
Newspapers should employ regular book reviewers who should introduce books to the public.
These are my suggestions. Will someone younger and resourceful take up this challenge and try to implement these suggestions? Let us live by the motto “get things done.”
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