18 March 2022
1730hrs CAT
Zim GBC news
Shamila Ntokozo Mdlongwa
www.zimgbcmedia.co.zw
Bulawayo Public Library strengthens the mother tongue diversity through offering reading materials, novels and school textbooks written in different indigenous languages.
The Bulawayo Public Library (BPL), is the first public library to be established in Zimbabwe and last year celebrated 125 years of existence.
The BPL provides reading material that is written in the mother tongue.
In a interview with the Library’s branch manager Pamela Mutasa, she mentioned that the library offers mainly two of the most spoken Zimbabwean indigenous languages, iSiNdebele and Shona.
Mutasa said the most borrowed are those written in iSiNdebele language and most of them are in the adult section.
The children’s section had a few of those and thus parents and schools always complained of the inadequate numbers and then insisted on BPL providing books in isiNdebele and Shona.
Deputy-Chief-Librarian, Roland Ndhlukula said that the cry of vernacular books was heard and thus two organizations Beit Trust and Child Protection Society (CPS) donated vernacular books.
Beit Trust is an organization that offers scholarships for students in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. CPS is an organization that focuses on empowering and heightening children’s protection.
A month ago the country joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Mother Language Day, a day which recognizes multilingualism and thus the donating and shelving of vernacular books is a good initiative in preserving the mother tongue.
The most borrowed vernacular books in children’s section, the YPL- Young People’s Library are those written in isiNdebele. Pamela says it might be due to the fact that isiNdebele is taught in most schools in Bulawayo and readers borrow these novels and books to better their fluency in the language.
Having covered a story on the commemoration celebration of the BPL last year this media house last year is making a follow up to understand how the BPL is coping in the midst of Covid-19.
Last year, the BPL management bemoaned the lockdown restrictions that had impaired progress at the Library.
The BPL is self sustaining through membership and readership. When lockdowns were proclaimed to curtail the spread of the corona virus, the library was extremely affected as income dwindled due to lack of walk in readers or members.
We spoke to Roland Ndlukula who said that in terms of readers, numbers have generally increased for walk-ins though sittings are still less.
He also mentioned that of significant importance is the increase in the number of followers on Twitter and LinkedIn.
The Library is also working on acquiring new computers for the computers section.
Ndhlukula said that the ‘library is the safest place to be’ and encourages readers to come to the library.
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