By Olamide Babatunde
The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), in collaboration with the Lagos branch, had another time to groove at the recent Lagos International Book Fair that held at the Multipurpose Hall, University of Lagos, to reinforce the idea of reading, identify the challenges facing the culture and proffer practical solutions. The theme: “An Affordable and Available Book as Gateways to Improving Reading” was directed at all stakeholders identified as authors, publishers, government, society, and the readers.
The importance of all stakeholders working together formed a clearer picture when the guest speaker, Dr. Henry Hunjo Jedidiah of Department of English, Lagos State University, Ojo, did more that swipe through the challenges. He highlighted facts about reading as the only means through which knowledge could be acquired, applied and the lessons taken in for positive results.
He said: “More often than not this kind of knowledge can only be found in books. As it were, if there happens to be no reader, then stakeholders are in a rot. Authors can’t survive on writing when there are no readers, neither can the publishers. The desire to read has been identified in people who sometimes cannot afford the books that have been published, and there is also the societal impact that hampers the culture of reading.
“Young people seem more attuned to music and entertainment and sports than books. The elite stratum that consists of leaders also hardly find reading interesting for some reasons.”
Charting a way forward, Hunjo made profound recommendations on how to enforce salient factors that can consolidate efforts stakeholders have put in place in the past in cognizance of the respective roles each one plays. The core, he said, should be massive yet consistent reading campaigns at all levels.
He said government agencies, the National Library, federal and state ministries of information and culture, ministries of education and all other agencies must take part to ensure that publishers and authors have a book policy in place that caters to the their interest. A national book policy, he added, would make certain that authors get due attention and publishers can produce in an enabling and conducive environment.
Publishers, according to him, were duty-bound to organise reading campaigns, engage reading psychologists and sociologists to find out what issues people have with reading and create programmes that encourage reading. He charged publishers to be honest in their dealings with authors to dissuade them from self-publishing. “Writing is a serious task itself. A writer should focus on his craft and not be bothered with publishing,” he echoed.
Nigerian authors were commended for their contributions to the body of creative writing and had a role to be aware of the reading needs of their audience. The old and young, he said, must be carried along of life that require social change; they need to focus on themes that affect human existence directly in a way that reflects our convictions and acceptability in the global human space.
“The guidelines for developing textbooks in English Language, for instance, and respect for social institutions is a way curriculum designers have responded to the question of subject matters,” he averred.
Dr Hunjo did not fail to reinstate that a collective effort was required of parents, teachers and mentors to work with the government agencies, publishers and authors to revive and reinforce the reading culture.
Mrs Osuagwu of the National Library, Dr Folu Agoi, Denja Abdullahi, ANA President; and moderator of the day, Mufu Onifade, former NANTAP President, ANA members all honoured the occasion and lent credence to speech. Osuagwu encouraged authors to always at, any time, leave a copies of their works with the National Library in the event of litigation for legal support.
The audience fully participated when the opportunity was presented, and were delighted with the poem and side attractions rendered by young ANA members. Femi Onileagbon, who compered the event, invited all and sundry to join the authors association, irrespective of profession, and made the assurance that 2018 Groove was a date to watch out for.