Partnerships in Building a Culture of Reading in South Africa: The case of Nal’ibali

Abstract

For many years, literacy experts have been concerned about the culture of reading in South Africa. As a result, many reading initiatives have been started in the country. Nal’ibali (isiXhosa for “it starts with a story”) is one such initiative that was started in 2012. This study aims to highlight the way in which Nal’ibali used partnership to significantly influence the culture of reading in South Africa by reaching out to over 159 191 children through reading clubs and 63 per cent of the South African population through media campaigns and initiatives. This qualitative study extracted data from the Nal’ibali’s monitoring and evaluation reports and campaign marketing documentation and internal evaluations to identify the way in which Nal’ibali is creating a culture of reading in South Africa and its impact. It was established that through partnerships, Nal’ibali is able to create the conditions that the campaign believes are important to create a culture of reading in South Africa. These partners include local community members, businesses, government, churches, libraries, and the media. Having seen the impact the Nal’ibali model has had on the people that the campaign reached, it was concluded that if South Africa is to become a reading nation, government and civil society should continue to partner in its literacy initiatives.