We are well into the age of technology, living an always-on, always-connected lifestyle. But just as we still have bicycles among motor vehicles and pencils in our pen holder, paper will always be close to our computers and smart phones.  

With Earth Day on 22 April and World Book Day on 23 April, the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) is highlighting the importance of paper in our lives and environment, and calling on us to put down our phones and pick up a book.

Imagine a world without paper

Can you think about what that would mean?

Think about your bedside table, the doctor’s waiting room or your handbag. There would be no books, magazines and to-do lists on the back of old envelopes.

Open your kitchen cupboard – there would be no paper packaging nor labels, no kitchen towel, no milk and juice cartons.

A world without paper would also mean no toilet paper or tissues.

If you’re a teacher, look around your classroom. Take note of everything that is there from posters to artwork and assessments; egg boxes and cereal boxes waiting to be transformed into something creative; tissue boxes too. These would not be there if it were not for paper.

Paper serves many needs

Paper is essential, and often hidden in plain sight. It cleans, wipes and mops up spills. It protects goods on their journey from A to B, from cornflakes to computers.

It preserves our words and memories when we print photos, write a birthday card or proudly display our child’s first stick man painting for all to see.

It conveys and communicates. Paper is tactile and stimulates our senses. The act of turning pages and taking in the words without the distraction of pop-ads and fake news cannot be undervalued.

Paper is better for our brains too

Researchers and neuroscientists are discovering that our brains prefer paper. We are able to navigate the content more easily.

We understand and remember things better if we read them in print as opposed to reading on screen. It uses less cognitive resources and energy (both our own, and the electricity to keep our screens alight).

Paper-based reading allows for better mental mapping, helping us remember where things are on a page or in the book.

(SIDE NOTE: This article was proofread a few times on screen. It was only when we printed it out that we found more grammar gremlins!)

PAMSA’s five ways to pick paper over digital on Earth Day and/or World Book Day:

1. Make at least one of the days a no-tech day – keep the TV off, put tablets and phones away and dust off the Scrabble or Snakes and Ladders. Or make a fort with a sheet and pillows, grab a box of biscuits and read stories to your little ones.
2. Buy a paper book for someone else, or simply share one from your own bookshelf.
3. Write a list of five books you want to read and by when.
4. Explore an encyclopedia or atlas with your children, or if the weather’s good, get out and teach them to use a paper map, if you even remember!
5. Make a habit of no phones or tablets before bedtime. Put your phone to bed one or two hours before you turn in. Reading a book will wind down your mind.

Paper is better for the environment too

Paper doesn’t need to be charged or use wi-fi. It’s renewable – made from farmed trees which have absorbed carbon and released oxygen. More trees have been planted to replace the ones that were made into paper.

Paper is also recyclable, keeping valuable raw material out of our landfills for use in paper stuff we use every day.

In fact, paper is just remarkable when you think about its place and purpose in our lives.

Follow PAMSA on Instagram @paperrocksza or visit www.thepaperstory.co.za

The post Earth Day and World Book Day: Unplug and Read a Paper Book first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).

The 7^th annual National Book Week kicked off at the Apartheid Museum with a keynote address by the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms. Faith Mazibuko, who spoke on the importance of reading to build future leaders of our country.

National Book Week (NBW), which runs from the 05^th -11^th September 2016, is a strategic national campaign brought to you by the South African Book Development Council, in partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture. NBW, envisioning a reading South Africa, provides an overarching platform to get the nation reading and will be celebrated across all nine provinces of South Africa.

The 2016 launch of National Book Week presented a very contentious question: Are Books Expensive, to which 70% of about 80 guests responded YES and 30% said NO.

An illustrious panel of speakers, comprising of key stakeholders in the book industry and other interest groups, unpacked the production elements of the book, and the contributing factors to the end price of the book. The importance of the book also came out of the discussions, with MenCare highlighting how the book is used to form a bond between fathers and children.

Says CEO of the South African Book Development Council (SABDC), Elitha van der Sandt, “By encouraging people to buy books and more importantly to read local books, particularly amongst our youth, we believe a significant impact can be made in terms of up-skilling our youth and empowering them to achieve higher levels of education. Increasing the number of book buyers and readers also leads to significant increases in economic contribution, and increased demand can have a very positive impact on the cost of a book.

The pages that build us

According to the Ministerial Task Team Report by the Department of Arts and Culture, it is estimated that only 1% of the South African population are book buyers.

A 20-year study across 27 countries reported “having as few as 20 books in the home has a significant impact in propelling a child to higher levels of education”. Numerous research studies over the years show clearly that good readers with high levels of reading fluency do well in all school subjects.

What is alarming is that more than half of South African homes do not have a single leisure book to read. This is a key motivator for the #BUY_A_BOOK strategy under the National Book Week Campaign.

This year, NBW ambassadors Aaron Moloisi, Refiloe Mpakanyane, Stoan Seate, Azania Mosaka along with the favourite Mascot Funda Bala will join in the line-up of activities and share in the joy of reading. Some of the activities lined up for the week include: Storytelling and a Wordathon, all speaking to this year’s focus: ‘The pages that build us.’

#BUY_A_BOOK

From 01-18 September, the public can support the #BUY_A_BOOK campaign by buying a book for only R20 at either Bargain Books or Exclusive Books and dropping it in the National Book Week donation bins; books can also be purchased on Takealot.com. These books will be donated to key NBW reading initiatives and to those who do not have books in their homes.

“It takes public participation to build a reading nation and we encourage the public to participate,” says van der Sandt.

Concurrently, NBW also motivates the #READ_A_BOOK campaign aimed at getting more South Africans to read books. “The more pages we turn, the more valuable knowledge and insight we gain; insight that we can share with those around us, and insight that can empower us significantly,” explains van der Sandt.

Join Funda Bala in making South Africa a reading nation and share in the joy of reading this National Book Week. Share a book, visit your local library, volunteer in the programme in your province or read to a child. You can also create your own reading activities and let NBW know about it.

#BUY_A_BOOK so that we can get the rest of South Africa to #READ_A_BOOK whose pages can build and edify us as a nation.

From an investment as small as R20, you can make a difference by buying a book for a home that does not have any – or share a book with someone – it only takes one book to change a life. It takes one book to change a life forever.

For more information visit: www.sabookcouncil.co.za or social media: Facebook (NationalBookWeekSA) and Twitter (#BUY_A_BOOK)

To find out more about NBW programmes around the country, visit our Facebook page for regular updates.

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NationalBookWeekSA
• Twitter: @NBW_SA / #READ_A_BOOK #BUY_A_BOOK

The post South Africa Celebrates National Book Week first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).

“It was Nelson Mandela who said that ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. As the South African Book Development Council, we firmly believe that access to books from an early age is the sharp edge of the spear. That said, we are never too old to learn. By equipping citizens of all ages with books to read, we give them the ability to learn, to gain knowledge and to participate in the economy. Can there be a greater gift? This is why we are proud to drive the annual National Book Week and continue to build an army and nation of readers.”
Jane Molony, PAMSA executive director and chairperson of the South African Book Development Council

The post National Book Week – 1-18 September 2016 first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).

Reading to children from an early age is an acknowledged factor in early childhood development (ECD) as it not only strengthens the bond between adult and child, but helps little ones develop cognitive and conversational skills.

Our digital world has pros and cons, so it’s not surprising that a debate on the merits and pitfalls of e-books against the printed page wages on.

Educationalists and a committed body of parents have unequivocally expressed their support for the time honoured reader, especially as it evokes fond memories of their own early reading experiences.

Page turners

Educationalist Dr Lauren Stretch, founder of NGO Early Inspiration, is an ECD specialist and an enthusiastic proponent of the paper book. She believes that early contact with books teaches children to respect and care for them, while physical contact with a volume – turning the pages – creates a greater feeling of engagement with the medium as opposed to merely holding a tablet.

She also regards time spent huddled over a book with a parent, grandparent or baby sitter as absolutely invaluable.

“This is an incredibly nurturing experience. Parents can engage with their child or children in a calm and soothing environment. Often when children use a device they do so alone, and don’t enjoy the interaction that can be gained during their first steps towards reading proficiency.”

This process helps the child gain the ability to concentrate and contributes heavily towards auditory, sequencing and memory skills at an early age. Just as important, it inspires a love of reading.

Conversations with mothers of young children show that they are in unanimous agreement with her comments:

Quiet time and story engagement

“I am the mother of a book-obsessed little girl. Reading a book together allows us some precious quiet time. Holding a book and turning the pages, naming the hidden characters in a well-illustrated story helps us to interact with one another as does the narration of the story. Books have also taught her the value of things, and that they need to be treated gently so that a favourite story can be revisited and enjoyed,” says parenting magazine editor Mandy Lee Miller.

Cape Town primary school librarian Debbie Feldman is adamant that books offer a physicality that attracts children more than the sterility of an e-reading device.

“Children like books as a medium because they love the smell of the paper and being able to turn the pages. This is particularly evident with picture books as they like to guess what the next illustration holds in store, making turning the next page an adventure. Children can also use the illustrations as a guide to the storyline which in turn supports their progress in comprehending the written text,” says Feldman.

“Reading with your child creates a bond and an enjoyable, relaxing experience in which parents and children can share interests and explore the world. This leads to the association of reading as an activity that brings joy. What’s more, experts suggest that reading to children for 20 minutes a day improves their chances of success in school,” says Lizelle Langford, READ Educational Trust’s public relations and fundraising manager.

Another equally supportive view comes from preschool teacher and mother of a three-year-old-boy, Heather Step.

“Reading with your child not only builds a love of books but a relationship with them that can extend to other rewarding activities. We have a routine every night. He acts out scenes from the book we are reading after his bath. And this has led to regular and much-enjoyed trips to the library where he can enjoy the experience of seeking out the books he is going to enjoy at home.”

Regular reading with your children not only provides them with an invaluable source of stimulation but equips them to excel in an educational environment. Educational researchers have established that one of the key indicators to predict a young person’s ability to gain university entrance is a history of reading with their parents from infancy.

Tablets take away true engagement

Touch-screens are great at a lot of things, but engaging children in a narrative is not one of them. Why? Because interactivity stops young ones from falling in love with stories and reading for pleasure, the cornerstones of imagination and understanding.

A device makes it very easy for a child to dismiss reading as ‘boring’ in comparison with the instant gratification of games and apps. There are simply too many distractions. Children are most likely to engage with stories in the right environment and context, and that means away from a screen.

According to a UK survey of almost 35,000 eight to 16 year olds, screens don’t seem to improve children’s experience of reading.

• A child who reads only on-screen is three times less likely to enjoy reading
• 15.5% of children who read every day, but only on screen, are above average readers.
• 26% of those who read daily in print, or both in print and on-screen, read at an above average level.

Interactive stories are designed for young children who may still need guided reading, but that interactivity often creates more of a game experience than a reading one. Instead of being the focus, the story becomes merely a background.

“If the child’s doing that, they are not going to be listening or reading”

International children’s author Julia Donaldson explains why she refused an e-book version of her most famous title, The Gruffalo, in a 2011 article in the Guardian. “The publishers showed me an e-book of Alice in Wonderland,” Donaldson said. “They said, ‘Look, you can press buttons and do this and that’, and they showed me the page where Alice’s neck gets longer,” said Donaldson. “There’s a button the child can press to make the neck stretch, and I thought, well, if the child’s doing that, they are not going to be listening or reading.”

Most children’s apps are crammed with interactivity with no objective apart from getting kids to tap on the screen. In storybook apps, the stream of sound and movement signifying nothing does not allow the cognitive and emotional space required to deeply engage with a story in the way that an old-fashioned book does. When we’re engaged in a story, we’re actually feeling the story, imagining how the characters feel and how we would feel in the same situation. That experience is hindered when children are busy trying to figure out what happens next when they tap on the screen.

During a bedtime story, the only stimuli are the adult’s voice and the book’s pictures. The best stories require interpretation and stimulate discussion between parent and child.

The moral of the story…

Parents should encourage a balanced mix of online and offline reading, both for older children reading by themselves and for toddlers who need guided reading to provide them with the necessary mental space to engage with a story in a deeper way.

PAMSA is a member of the South African Book Development Council which seeks to increase access to books and boost local books especially indigenous language and diverse content books.  

National Book Week will be take place from 5-11 September.

Source:

Asi Sharabi. 2013. Tablets make it impossible for kids to get lost in a story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://qz.com/159059/tablets-make-it-impossible-for-kids-to-get-lost-in-a-story/. [Accessed 12 April 2016].

The post Printed Books Are Best – The Paper Story (PAMSA) first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).

Beautiful words to describe a beautiful thing – the book. This week is National Book Week in South Africa. Now into its fifth year, National Book Week 2014 will see one of the longest running and most successful reading campaigns in South Africa travel to six of our nine provinces, reflecting the magic of books and how reading can ‘figuratively’ and ‘literally’ take you places.

A sad fact for South Africa is that more than 50% of households do not have a single book in their home. Countless children and adults have not had the magic of books in their lives beyond textbooks. The South African Book Development Council in partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture to attempting to change this through the annual National Book Week.

For those of us who have had the privilege of reading, touching, holding and paging through a book will know the benefit that it brings. It brings a richness that is unparalleled. Reading can open us to a world that no amount of travel could ever do.

Let us work together to take some South Africans to a place they may never have been: inside a book.

The post The Beauty of Reading first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).

The Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, accompanied by book sector stakeholders, marked the launch of National Book Week 2014 during an event highlighting the power of books at Emoyeni Conference Centre, Parktown, on Friday 29 August.

Capturing the essence of how books can transport you to a magical place, feed your knowledge, make you laugh – and inspire you to achieve your greatest goals – the launch of ‘Going Places’, the theme for this year’s National Book Week (NBW) featured the unveiling of the special NBW bus which will be transporting NBW ambassadors, motivational speakers, authors, storytellers and a toy library to towns from Ganyesa in the North West Province to Worcester in the Western Cape.

Now into its fifth year, National Book Week 2014 will see one of the longest running and most successful reading campaigns in South Africa travel to a record six provinces, reflecting the magic of books and how reading can ‘figuratively’ and ‘literally’ take you places.

The event, officiated by Sandile Memela, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Arts and Culture, saw Elitha Van Der Sandt, the chief executive officer of The South African Book Development Council, give the opening address.

Van Der Sandt said that “reading allows us to transcend the limitations we are born with” and pointed out that while the South African book sector amounts to R5-billion in turn over, with authors securing royalties to the value of R300m, only 14% of people in the country read – and only 1% of the population buys books.

Meanwhile, the head of SABC1, Maijang Mpherwane, spoke about the campaign’s partnership with the national broadcaster, which sees the SABC come on board as media broadcast partner for the fifth year in a row.

“As the campaign goes out there, we will use the might of the biggest channel in the country to make sure that the public is aware of National Book Week,” he said.

The Honourable Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, officially opened National Book Week.

In his keynote speech, he paid tribute to literary giant Nadine Gordimer, who passed away in July.

Minister Mthethwa pointed out that National Book Week appropriately takes place at the start of Heritage Month, which this year has as its theme, “Celebrating 20 Years of Democracy: Tell your story that moves South Africa Forward!”.

“The heightened culture of reading is a fundamental ingredient in the growth of our society….Books have the power to connect our past with our future… We have to continue to work to make reading a national priority,” Minister Mthethwa said.

The event also saw the launch of the Twenty in 20 short stories book, a collection of short stories “representing the spirit of the last 20 years of our democracy” according to Mandla Langa, novelist and chair of the Twenty in 20 judging panel.

Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, The Honourable Rejoice Mabudafhasi, also mentioned Gordimer in her speech in which she contextualised the Twenty in 20 anthology as part of the extensive history of short story telling in South Africa.

Mabudafhasi pointed out that there was a need for more diversity in local literature, highlighting the fact that while 49% of books are published in English and 45% in Afrikaans, only 6% is shared amongst the our other nine official languages.

Attended by this year’s National Book Week ambassadors including writer and activist Shaka Sisulu, artists Stoan Seate, and Bianca Le Grange, Aaron Moloisi and Lupi Ngcayisa, guests were entertained by a poetry performance by poet Paul Said and a storytelling performance by the Kwesukela Storytelling Academy with the Vote of Thanks and Closing Remarks provided by Jane Molony, the Chairperson of The South African Book Development Council (SABDC).

A highlight of the launch was the unveiling of the NBW bus, with media and guests given a chance to experience what it will feel like to travel on the vehicle, which will be criss-crossing the country to promote National Book Week.

And in keeping with the message of the power of books and how it can take you places you might only have dreamed before, 40 school children aged between six and nine years old from Eldridge Primary School who attended the event were entertained by National Book Week mascot Funda Bala and gifted with a collection of books in a specially created toy room.

www.facebook.com/NationalBookWeekSA

• Twitter:            @NBW_SA / #GOINGPLACES

The post National Book Week launched first appeared on The Paper Story (PAMSA).