Tshwane, South Africa. 17 September 2021
As part of UNESCO’s inauguration of its 7th South African National Commission for UNESCO, of which Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is President, Puku Children’s Literature Foundation received their award and medal as UNESCO 2021 Laureates of the International Literacy Prize. The special event was held at Sol Plaatje House on the DBE campus in Pretoria.
Minister Motshekga concluded her keynote address with the following: “We have the winner of the 2021 UNESCO International Literacy Prize in the house. UNESCO has requested me to hand over the Diploma and Medal to the Executive Director of PUKU Children’s Literacy Foundation, Mrs Elinor Sisulu, for winning the UNESCO King Sejong International Literacy Prize. Ms Sisulu and her PUKU Children’s Literacy Foundation have made our country proud. On behalf of our people, we thank you again for being an excellent ambassador for literacy. We are so proud.”
The Minister further lauded Puku for exemplary representation on the international stage; “It is no longer just a Puku prize, it is South Africa’s national award now.”
“This is the most prestigious award that UNESCO has,” added Professor Hubert Gijzen, Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROCA), who also affirmed the importance of literacy.
Puku has had a whirlwind week of presentations, appearances and accolades after it was named a 2021 UNESCO Laureate for its work on “Using digital technologies to promote children’s literature in South Africa’s indigenous languages”. The other five outstanding literacy programmes came from Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Guatemala, India, and Mexico and each will receive a medal, a diploma and a cash prize of US$20.000.
Puku Children’s Literature Foundation is a non-governmental organisation established in 2009 with the objective of promoting reading and book development to help all children, especially those living in the most economically deprived areas, so that they may have access to books in all South African languages. Puku aims to ensure that all children have access to quality, culturally relevant literature in the languages they understand. Puku does this by working to create systemic change in the reading and book development ecosystem through digital platforms that provide a structured and organised system for selecting, reviewing and sharing accurate data on children’s books in all South African languages. Puku also hosts community events celebrating books and reading, advocates for the book publishing ecosystem, and conducts writing and reviewing workshops for storytellers, writers, teachers, librarians, language practitioners, cultural and literary activists and academics in indigenous language communities.
Nomvuyo Mzamane, Puku’s Education & Multimedia Edutainment Specialist notes; “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for South African children and youth to become independent readers and have access to reading resources in the languages they most need. As the pandemic has forced a shift to distance learning, the task of producing enduring and memorable content in all South African languages through digital platforms becomes more urgent.”
With support from the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) as administered by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture’s National Arts Council, Puku ramped up its digital products and services. Puku spearheaded the publication of the first-ever book in the N/uu language,made progress towards the completion of
the first in a series of catalogues of indigenous language books for early childhood and foundation phase, and used radio and social media to enhance its work in the promotion and preservation of all South Africa’s indigenous languages. Puku also designed and produced what is the world’s first video tutorial on the subject of reviewing children’s literature that affirms the African child in an African language, with the pilot being in isiXhosa.
Through webinars, radio and social media, Puku organized a campaign to promote and preserve indigenous languages, with a special focus on the promotion of reading in indigenous languages from early childhood. As a thought leader in the children’s literature space and acting as a strategic convenor, Puku was able to connect institutions and organizations, leading experts in the indigenous language communities with voices on the ground. The nine Puku webinars, all available in their entirety on YouTube’s Puku Channel, are the first ever webinar series in indigenous languages within and between linguistic communities.
Puku’s leadership in unique, multi-sectoral collaborations and advocacy for indigenous languages, including this award recognition, would not be possible without its partners. Puku is most grateful for ongoing and far-reaching collaborations with the University of South Africa (UNISA), the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) , the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), the Indigenous Language Initiative for Advancement (ILIFA), the book donation non-profit Biblionef, the International Board for Books for Young People (IBBY), and the University of the Western Cape (UWC). We are also thankful to Ouma Katrina Esau, her family and the Northern Cape Provincial government for our collaboration on the N/uu language children’s book.
As COVID-19 continues to force increased uptake in virtual communication, making it easier and cheaper to organize meetings that reach a larger audience with less time and financial investment. However, Lorato Trok, Puku’s Specialist Multilingual Editor notes; “Virtual worlds have also brought the emotional burden of lacking physical interaction with other human beings, especially direct contact with our children.” Other significant challenges include the great digital divide whereby those who do not have access to infrastructure, devices, and data are excluded.
Looking beyond the Literacy Prize, Puku aims to mobilize the resources needed to have a complete digital refresh and upscale their website into Pukupedia, an online encyclopedia for children’s books in all Southern African languages. Puku will seek funds to continue supporting the production of books in the endangered Nama, San and Khoi languages. Puku also looks forward to sourcing investments to expand its indigenous language e-learning opportunities, its African language book catalogues for children of all ages, and its think-tank work through webinars and other engagements.
In the spirit of International Literacy Day, Puku acknowledges the vital role in which extraordinary storytellers, educators, writers and language practitioners have to cultivate literary traditions within linguistic communities. ‘We need to harness their talent and abilities to populate our digital platforms with the enduring and memorable content that our children desperately need. Just as Nelson Mandela wanted all children in the world to experience the wonder of books, so do we want all children to have access to the digital spaces where they can enlarge their earthly dwelling place with the magic of stories,” shares Mrs. Elinor Sisulu, Executive Director of Puku Children’s Literature Foundation.
