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Storymoja’s read aloud contest to promote Kiswahili language

Storymoja’s read aloud contest to promote Kiswahili language
Storymoja read-aloud challenge in Magadi Primary Shool in Kisumu.

This year’s Storymoja read-aloud challenge will for the first time since its establishment be conducted in Kiswahili.

The initiative, which has over the years been using english to get children from as many schools around Kenya as possible to read from the same text at the same time, is this year doing it in Kiswahili  in efforts to elevate the language in the country.

Organisers of the event say the decision to use the language was influenced by the fact that it is a language that is used by a majority of Kenyans in everyday conversation. Kiswahili also comes with an element of national unity. “What better way to foster unity in an election year than using a unifying language? Apart from being a celebration of our national language, this decision also supports the adoption of Kiswahili by the African Union as the language that will promote regional integration and sustainable development,” Anne Eboso, the campaign manager  revealed.

Eboso said it was only after Kiswahili was recognised as an official language by the current constitution and as an inter-ethnic medium of communication that it was being taken seriously by the nation and schools. 

 Unity in diversity 

“However, there are still schools that punish learners for speaking Kiswahili and other African languages, we still have a long way to go,” Eboso said. 

 The Storymoja read-aloud challenge will be reading the book Shambulizi la Akina Shida this year. The book is a story that sensitises children on issues around unity in diversity, ethnic tolerance, children’s rights, disability and inclusion. “It is an election year and many children will witness what happens,” said Eboso. 

The book is approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and was commissioned by Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) after the 2007-2008 post-election violence. 

While Kenya has one of the greatest education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, research shows that seven out of 10  Grade Three students are unable to read text at Grade Two level.

Ann acknowledges that the issue of reading culture is one that cannot be addressed in a single interaction. She goes on to say that finding culturally appropriate reading materials is a major issue. Even though more storybooks with African characters and settings are being published, just around two per cent of Kenyan primary schools have libraries.

In addition, another common issue is the attitude toward reading. “This could explain why the last book most people read was their high school set books. Remember those infamous book-burning parties after students finish their final exams?” she poses. 

World record

Fortunately, there is hope.  Anne says there is a shift in reading habits as bookshops are opening up and stocking more African books, and readers are buying those books. More organisations are also promoting the reading culture through literary campaigns and festivals.

The national challenge also seeks to break its national record every year. In June 2015, they unofficially broke the current Guinness World Record of 223,363 participants in 909 venues in the USA by leading 229,043 children in 1,097 schools across 44 counties. “We figured out that if Kenyan children ‘owned’ a world record in reading, it would go a long way in building positive perceptions about the value of reading storybooks. The record will also be instrumental in growing and sustaining the Kenyan reading culture,” Ann said. 

The Storymoja team planned on breaking the record officially in 2021, but due to the restrictions brought about by Covid-19 that did not happen. 

“Despite the disruption by the pandemic in all sectors, we led 73,481 children from 577 schools, across 44 counties in reading aloud. The lower numbers were because of  Covid-19 control guidelines, such as social distancing, limited sharing of reading materials, lockdowns in some counties, and the general hesitation to take part in an event that could bring together groups of learners,” she said.

Despite the minor setbacks, the read-aloud challenge has borne some fruits. “Teachers have noted perception changes in children towards reading storybooks, and many have noted a general improvement in the academic performance of such children.  With this challenge, thousands of schools have signed up to participate.  And in turn, positioning story books or stories as powerful tools that can be used to teach and introduce children to complex concepts and conversations,” she said.

Members of the public can also participate in the read aloud challenge by becoming reading ambassadors. It entails donating 30 minutes of your time and joining a participating school to read aloud with them. “We know that children get motivated when they interact with role models from outside their usual environment. Hence  the reason why we seek literary champions to help us create excitement by joining any of the participating public schools. Their participation usually impresses the children and imprints the value of reading storybooks, and the importance of education, as a whole,” she said in conclusion.

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