Books for African Readers

Abstract

This chapter addresses the question of what materials would be useful and enjoyable for the new readers emerging from Africa’s recently expanded education systems. The Kitengesa Community Library in Uganda is described, and the library’s records of which books were borrowed over 2004-5 are analyzed. According to various criteria, the most popular books were storybooks, especially those based on traditional African stories. Books about various aspects of social development were less popular but were nonetheless borrowed and presumably read. The study has limitations, but it provides an indication of what kinds of material are appropriate for community libraries in rural Africa.

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