Pan African Reading For All Conferences: 2009

Sunday, November 22, 2009

3 Literacy Conferences in Africa

Monday 7 December - Friday 11 December 2009
READING ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA 2nd Mid-Term Conference
Theme: Re-Branding Nigeria Through Critical and Functional Literacy

Click here for conference details.

July 2010
MULTILINGUALISM AND EDUCATION: GLOBAL PRACTICES, CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD.
CO-HOSTED BY KENYATTA UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Click here for conference details.
Click here to visit the Applied Linguistics and Literacy in Africa & the Diaspora Research Network website.

January 2011
MOBILITY LANGUAGE LITERACY: An international conference examining transnational, translocal and global flows of people, language and literacy through the lens of social practice - Cape Town January 2011.
Click here to get conference details.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Ethiopia Reads Newsletter, September 2009

Ethiopia Reads is an organization that works to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia, in order to bring hope, vision and educational skills to a new generation of Ethiopian children. It has established its own libraries for children in local schools, publishes books in local Ethiopian languages and trains teachers and librarians to nurture a love of reading.

Click here to view the Ethiopia Reads website.

Click here to read their September 2009 newsletter.

Masresha Kibret works with Ethiopia Reads. He was a delegate to the 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference in Dar Es Salaam in August 2009.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Ethiopia Reads and the Rural Library and Literacy Expansion project

Mr. Masresha Kibret of Ethiopia was a delegate at the 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference in Dar Es Salaam in August.

Masresha works with Ethiopia Reads, an organization that works to improve literacy and create a culture of reading in Ethiopia, in order to bring hope, vision and educational skills to a new generation of Ethiopian children. It has established its own libraries for children in local schools, publishes books in local Ethiopian languages and trains teachers and librarians to nurture a love of reading.

Their current project, Rural Library and Literacy Expansion, supports the growth of the Awassa Reading Center and the Donkey Mobile Libraries Program. The project is sponsored by American Jewish World Service.

The slideshow below shows pictures of a recent inauguration of a new school library in an Ethiopian village, including a visit from the donkey mobile library.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Imagine Ìsoyà: A life transforming functional literacy project in South-western Nigeria

Click here for full text of paper by Toyin Kolawole:
"Imagine Ìsoyà: A life transforming functional literacy project in South-western Nigeria"

Abstract: This brief account presents the outcome of an externally funded adult literacy project of a University-based rural development programme in South-western Nigeria. Employing a reflective form of writing, the report provides a historical antecedent of the Isoya Rural Development Programme of the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. It goes further to outline the process of implementing a functional literacy project funded by the United States based International Reading Association (IRA). The paper, therefore, tells the success stories of the project since inception by highlighting the participatory approaches employed in enhancing the sustainability of the adult class.

Keywords: Functional adult literacy, International Reading Association, reflexive writing, participatory, sustainability.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Ngugi wa Thiong'o- Keynote Texts. Also: Conference Resolutions & Recommendations

Please click links below to get corresponding documents.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o - text of Keynote Address 1 (of 2), 11 August 2009

Ngugi wa Thiong'o - text of Keynote Address 2 (of 2), 12 August 2009

Resolutions and Recommendations, 6th Pan African Reading For All Conference, August 2009

If you cannot open a link, please e-mail 6thpanafricanrfa@gmail.com for assistance.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Post #41 Text of Bakari speech and opportunity to share your presentations

We have just posted the text of Dr. Bakari's keynote address to the
6th RFA Conference which many people have requested.
We will also be posting the texts of Ngugi wa Thiong'o's speeches and
several other conference documents.

ALSO: PLEASE send us your conference presentations and PowerPoints if
you would like them posted. Many people have expressed interest in
getting them, so please don't be shy about posting. There were so many
great presentations at the conference and they deserve to be widely
disseminated.

Last, I realize that some abstracts were never included in the
programme book OR in the additions sheets.
This is very regrettable, as this was our error and we are very sorry
it happened. So if your abstract was never printed, and you are
willing, send it and we will post it here.

PLENARY ADDRESS ON READING by DR SALIHU GIREI BAKARI

Literacy for Community-Based SocioEconomic Transformation and Development
IN NIGERIA: SOME CRITICAL CHALLENGES AND THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION

DR SALIHU GIREI BAKARI
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
ADAMAWA STATE UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION BOARD
ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

BEING A PLENARY ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE 6th PAN AFRICAN READING FOR ALL CONFERENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, AUGUST 10TH - 14, 2009

ABSTRACT
Literacy especially reading is one activity that is unique, which cuts across all spectrums of academic endeavours. In addition to providing the most significant process for appreciating the relationship between spoken and written languages, reading competence is a basic requirement for success in all intellectual tasks. Difficulty in reading thus creates a first line barrier to understanding the content of learning especially in the school context. Various tests including a national assessment of learning achievement have however revealed that the average Nigerian school child is of below average capacity in the execution of literacy tasks. The problem with these tests of achievement is that they tend, in most cases, to show the child as the issue in the low literacy performance, whereas evidence exists to suggest that the quality of the teacher and the teaching strategies employed may also be below average. The popular computer dictum – garbage in garbage out – holds here. The focus of this paper is to analyse the situation of literacy and literacy teaching in Africa with particular reference to Nigeria and at the end, locate the disconnect between various literacy programmes of government and literacy achievement of children and adults. To this end, performance tests administered on sample basic education school teachers are analysed. The analysis has shown various degrees of incompetence in reading tasks exhibited by the teachers and inadequacies in the strategies they employ in teaching reading to learners. The school environment is also mostly reading unfriendly. An integrated pre-reading programme that will emphasise exposure of the child to carefully structured reading exercises immediately she/he is fully adjusted to the challenges of school life is canvassed in the capacity building intervention designed for the teachers. For adult literacy education, the conception and context have to shift from literacy as set of mechanical skills of reading, writing and mathematics to a social literacy approach that seeks to address literacy as relevant to the day - to - day existence of the adults.

Click here to get the full text.

Post #40 Wonderful conference, Plan now for Botswana 2011

The 6th Pan African RFA Conference was a wonderful success. We will
send out a report in about a month which will include:
a summary of the delegate evaluations
the resolutions from the conference to be given to ministries and all
appropriate bodies
information about the next conference.

If you would like to stay on this mailing list and receive these
communications as well as information as it becomes available for the
next conference, you need do nothing. However, if you would like your
name REMOVED, please respond. You can also add colleagues who are
interested by sending their names in your reply.

You are free to post announcements and ideas on this group, and use
the group to contact others interested in literacy. All posts will be
moderated so that there is no spam or misuse of the group, but
otherwise your remarks will be posted. I anticipate posts occurring
every 2 weeks or less.

I hope to post Ngugi's speeches in the next week or so. If there is
anything else you would like to see, please write to me:
judithbakr@gmail.com

I am not sure how long I personally will be keeping up this group, but
for now, I will keep it going.

Yours, Judith

Monday, August 10, 2009

Day 1 of the Conference - a great opening day

Greetings from beautiful Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and the University of Dar Es Salaam. We enjoyed a wonderful Day 1 of the conference (Monday 10 August) and are looking forward to Day 2's keynote address by honored guest Ngugi wa Thiong'o, followed by many presentations by delegates, with special ceremonies tonight launching Ngugi's new book.

Internet connectivity here in Dar Es Salaam has been difficult -- but please know we have many wonderful photos and notes to share when technology will permit. In the meantime, if you are not with us at the conference, we appreciate your good thoughts of support.

More to come -- as soon as possible!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program

Click here to view the final program.

Post #38 Important information about currency and dormitory

PLEASE READ and tell your colleagues

Banks and hotels in Tanzania will not normally accept local currencies
from other countries.

Neither will they accept US Dollars dated before 2000.

PLEASE check your currency to make sure you are able to use it in
Tanzania.

There are atms and banks on campus, but you should be as careful as
possible about having the proper currency, in case they cannot help
you.

Registration fee must also be paid by $100 [USD] bill only.

You are advised to change your money right outside the arrivals area
in the airport, where there is easy access to an office which changes
money.

Also, if you desire accommodation in the university dormitory, please
notify Luciana at cbp@raha.com immediately. DO NOT respond to this
group, nor to Judith Baker, as your request will not be known to
Luciana. If you have already requested a room, you do not need to
confirm or ask again.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Post #37 Schedule of conference events

KARIBU!
Welcome to the 6th Pan African Reading for All Conference
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

DAY 1 Monday 10 August, 2009
8:30 Registration Begins
1:00-1:30 Procession of Delegates – Gather at Administration Hall
1:45-2:25 Seating of Delegates and Entertainment by University Art Group
2:45-5:00 Opening Ceremony
6:00 Cocktail
7:00-9:30 Burt Award Ceremony

DAY 2 Tuesday 11 August, 2009
9:00-10:30 Plenary: Keynote Address, Ngugi wa Thiong’o,
in Nkrumah Hall
11:00-12:30 Concurrent Sessions
12:30-2:00 Lunch Provided
2:00-3:30 Concurrent Sessions
4:00-5:00 Concurrent Sessions
6:00-8:30 Book Launch Ceremony with Prof. Ngugi Wa Thiong

DAY 3 Wednesday 12 August, 2009
9:00-10:30 Plenary: Keynote Address, Ngugi wa Thiong’o,
in Nkrumah Hall
11:00-12:30 Concurrent Sessions
12:30-2:00 Lunch Provided
2:00-12:30 Concurrent Sessions
4:00-5:00 Concurrent Sessions
6:00-10:00 Pearson Family Book Night for Invited Guests
in Nkrumah Hall

DAY 4 Thursday 13 August, 2009
9:00-10:30 Plenary: Speakers Dr. Patricia Edwards and Dr. Bakari
in Nkrumah Hall
11:00-12:30 Concurrent Sessions
12:30-1:30 Lunch Provided
1:30-3:00 Concurrent Sessions
2:00-5:00 Closing Ceremony
6:00-11:00 Banquet

DAY 5 Friday 14 August, 2009
6:00 Tour to Zanzibar
9:00 Visits to Local Schools: Buses Depart from Nkrumah Hall
9:00 Tour to Bagamoyo

Monday, August 3, 2009

Post #36

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Post #35

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Post #34 Conference t-shirts and opening ceremony (Google Group)

Dear Delegates,

Those of you who have attended conferences in past years will know
that one part of the tradition is to honor the wide participation by
educators from all over Africa and guests from the larger
international community.

This year the conference will open with a short procession from the
university administration to the conference venue in which we hope
delegates from each country will march with your national contingent
and at least a national flag or symbol to represent your country. If
each person tries to bring something, this will add to the symbolism
of educators uniting for universal literacy to which we are all
dedicated.

We will also have conference t-shirts on sale for $10 or 10,000 Tanz
Tsh which you can wear in the opening procession.

It has been shown in research that one of the most powerful influences
on improvement in education is the degree to which leading educators
are connected to each other in our professional organisations and
activities. We are hoping to provide all delegates with just such
opportunities to connect, learn from each other and establish lasting
channels to learn from and work with each other.

Your Organising Committee is dedicated to making these things possible.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Post #33 Very important for all delegates to read (Google Group)

Please read all these items - some are reminders and some new. We need everyone's cooperation to make these arrangements and provide you with a successful experience.

1. If you need to obtain your visa upon arrival in Dar es Salaam
airport, we MUST have your name and all passport information BEFORE
JULY 31.

2. If you have asked us to book you a hotel, we MUST know your date of check-in. Also, if you have booked somewhere else and do NOT intend to use the room you asked us to book, please let us know
so it can be canceled in time that you will not be charged for the room.

3. If you have requested a room in the university student hostel,
please remember to bring your own bedsheets and towels as none are provided.

4. Presenters should have both hard and soft copies of your papers to hand in after your presentation session.

5. The conference is providing transport to hotels which are on our list. We need your flight arrival date, time and airline as soon as you have it available in order to meet your needs.

6. Remember to bring your national dress and flag or other symbol for
the opening and closing ceremonies.

7. NEW: PLEASE email Judith [judithbakr@gmail.com or hit 'reply' in Gmail] a new edited copy of your abstract as you wish it to be printed. Some people have asked that we print a booklet with the abstracts of all presentations. We will do this if most people will be so kind as to send us an edited copy of your abstract by August 1. PLEASE send your abstract again, as we cannot do it with the copies we have on your original applications.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Special Announcement: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o to Attend Conference and Give Keynote Address

The Organising Committee of the 6th Biennial Pan African Reading for All Conference, and Prof Mlinzi M Mulokozi, Chairperson of the National Committee, are very proud to announce that Ngugi Wa Thiong'o will address the conference plenary on Tuesday 11 August and take part in this conference.

Ngugi has earned his reputation as East Africa's most famous living writer, and his novels are required reading throughout Africa. His courage in the face of political repression and his masterful command of fiction make Ngugi a role model for all of us striving to bring literacy to all of Africa.

Click here to read Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's biography on his official website.

Click here to view photos on Ngugi's website.

Our heartfelt thanks to the Pearson Foundation for helping make this
possible.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Post #32

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Here Is The Programme!

Click here to view the programme.

Please check the programme carefully in case we have made any error in the spelling of presenter names, presentation titles or types, or if we have omitted anyone.

If you find any error, please contact cbp@raha.com immediately.
We hope you will not find any errors, but if you do, please forgive us and help us to make the corrections before the programme is published in hard copy.

Additional Information:

If you are interested in chairing the session you are in, please send us a short message of your interest.

If you are a delegate who is not presenting but you have expertise in a session you would like to chair, please send a message with information about your own expertise. We will notify the chairs before you arrive if we are able to do so, but if not we will give you complete information when you register.

Chairpeople will be given clear instructions upon arrival, but the main requirement is expertise in the range of papers being offered at the session for which they are responsible, as chairs will be asked to conduct the discussion sessions after the presentations.

We thank you in advance for inspecting the programme, making yourself a copy, and volunteering.

Post #31 Visiting schools and some reminders (Google Group)

Dear Delegates,

If you are planning to visit schools as part of the conference
activities on Friday 14 August, please consider bringing one or more
books to donate as part of your visit. Your gift will be very welcome.

We also wish to remind you:

1. Please send your flight number, airline and date and time of
arrival to cbp@raha.com if you wish to be met at the airport. [Please
do not send it as a 'reply' to this email but rather directly to
Luciana at cbp@raha.com.]

2. Please register for the conference by email. This will expedite
your registration on Monday and allow us to plan catering and other
services for all delegates. Click this link to get the registration form.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Post #30 Attention Nigerian Delegates (Google Group)

Dear Delegates from Nigeria,

I wish to apologize for my previous communications regarding obtaining
visas when you arrive at the airport in Dar es Salaam. I have been
advised that most airlines leaving Nigeria will be reluctant to carry
you without an entrance visa to Tanzania already in hand, since there
is a Tanzanian embassy in Abuja in Nigeria.

Although it is difficult for some of you to travel to Abuja, it is
relatively easy to obtain a Tanzanian visa at the Tanzanian embassy.
The address of the embassy Embassy in Abuja is located at 11, Ganges
Street, Off Alvan Ikoku Road, Maitama District, Abuja. The exercise
does not last 10 minutes.

You will need 2 passport photographs, a letter of invitation, your
passport and an introduction letter from your Institution. The visa
fee is N10,600.

Again, it is absolutely safer for Nigerians to obtain their visa in
Abuja. Therefore, I suggest you advise all those coming from Nigeria
to make every effort to obtain their visa in Abuja before embarking on
the journey.

If you have already sent us your passport information, we will
certainly help expedite your visa upon arrival, but we cannot assure
you that you will be able to leave Nigeria without the entrance visa
in hand.

Thank you and again, I apologize for giving you misleading information
in the past, Judith

Friday, July 10, 2009

Post #29

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Post #28 Important updates for all delegate (from Google Group)

*The Organising Committee is hard at work to provide a wonderful
conference for all delegates. We have almost finished the Programme
and hope to have it out by early next week. Many last minute
improvements have delayed us beyond the July 1 date, but you will soon
have access to the entire schedule.

*As you are making your final plans, please include bringing your
National Flag for the opening ceremony and national dress for the
closing banquet. It is traditional at the Pan African Reading for All
Conference that all participating nations are recognized, so please
bring the symbols of your culture to add to the richness of this
assembly.

*If you or a colleague still need an invitation letter, please contact
Judith as soon as you can at judithbakr@gmail.com.

* If you have not registered, or if you have not signed up for visa
assistance upon arrival, please do so soon. All information can be
accessed at this group and directions can be found on the conference
blog if you are not sure how to access the information. Go to:
http://6thpanafricanrfa.blogspot.com/ The programme will be posted on
the blog also.

*The tours committee has finalised two wonderful day trips for
delegates. The prices are slightly higher than we anticipated, but
include lunch and all expenses. A trip to Bagamoyo, the ancient
capital, will cost 50 USD each and a boat trip and walking tour of
Zanzibar's Stone Town will cost USD150 each. We apologize for the
increases, but we think you will find both trips very worthwhile.
Both trips will be offered on Friday 14 August, and it is possible
that the tour company will also offer Saturday trips.
If you already expressed a preference for the tour, we have your names
on the list. You can sign up for a tour or change your preference at
registration, so you do not need to contact us ahead of time.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Conference Sponsor CODE - their new video on YouTube

Enjoy the CODE video below -- and click this link to read CODE's story on their website.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Information from Conference attendees Margaret Beckett and Paula Gains

From Margaret Beckett:
Dear All,
My name is Margaret, and I have been working for 3 years here in Tanzania. Our project seeks to achieve a range of objectives, including establishing an orthography for the Rangi language which is spoken by over 400,000 people here in Central Tanzania. We are working with Rangi people in preserving culture and traditions in written form, and also working with Rangi people in writing books in the Rangi language. I am most interested in ways of teaching basic literacy skills to people living in rural contexts in oral cultures. If they can learn to read first in the language they feel think and speak in most easily, we hope to be able to continue from this foundation, and enable those who wish to read in Kiswahili, the national language of Tanzania, to do so. Many people groups in Tanzania live in comparable rural villages, speaking some Kiswahili, but mainly using their Mother tongue. We hope our work may be helpful to others in similar contexts. I am also interested in community literacy and women's literacy, as both of these can, I believe, impact positively on family health and well being, and children’s development and education.I am looking forward to meeting you and sharing ideas and experiences in the field of literacy.
Margaret

Response from Paula Gains at the Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy

Hi Margaret Beckett,
The Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy, based in South Africa, is also involved in and passionate about mother tongue literacy. Our Breakthrough to Literacy programme is in nine sub-saharan countries in Africa and is currently translated into 51 African languages, including !Xun, Khwedam and Nama, the threatened languages of the San and Khwe people. Please visit our website for further information about what we do. I hope that we can meet at the conference to talk about possible synergies.Paula Gains

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Closing Ceremonies - Thursday, August 13, 2009

Closing Ceremonies Sponsor: Pearson Foundation

On Thursday 13 August 2009, the Conference will conclude with a gala closing ceremony. This will be followed by a banquet. Please bring your native dress to wear for these events. Those of you with musical abilities are encouraged to show off your own talent at the banquet.

The Pearson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Pearson plc, has become a major sponsor of this Conference for the first time this year. Their generous support comes from a deep and longtime dedication to literacy and to those who teach around the world. We are very grateful to the Pearson Foundation for getting involved at such a critical time.

Opening Ceremonies - Monday, August 10, 2009

Opening Ceremonies Sponsor: CODE Canada

On Monday 10 August 2009, the Conference will open with welcomes and keynote speeches from major figures in literacy and education policy. A social time will follow the opening. Then you are invited to stay for the presentation of the Burt Award for African Literature. The Burt Award recognizes excellence in young adult fiction from Africa and addresses an ongoing absence of relevant, quality books for young people while simultaneously promoting a love of reading at a critical stage of learning.

As a longtime participant in the Pan African Reading For All Conference and as the founder of The Children's Book Project (the 2009 host organization), CODE Canada is proud to be both an overall sponsor of the Conference as well as sponsor of the Opening Ceremonies and the Bill Burt Award ceremony.

Monday, June 15, 2009

E-mail Address for Conference Questions

If you are not a member of our Google Group but have questions about the conference, please send an e-mail to: 6thpanafricanrfa@gmail.com

E-mail Address for Conference Registration

If you are attending the conference, please use the following e-mail address to submit your registration form and visa information: cbp@raha.com

"CBP" stands for Children's Book Project, the host organization of the conference.

6th Pan African Reading For All Conference -- Kongamano La 6 La Usomaji Kwa Wote

Theme: "Literacy for Community-Based Socioeconomic Transformation and Development."
Mada: "Usomaji Kwa Ajili Ya Kuleta Mageuzi Na Maendeleo Ya Kijamii Na Kiuchumi."

Date: 10th - 14th August 2009.
Tarehe 10 - 14 Agosti 2009.

Venue: University of Dar Es Salaam.
Mahali: Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es salaam.

All Are Cordially Invited.
Wote Mnakaribishwa.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

The Pearson Foundation, conference sponsor -- from YouTube

Childrens Book Project Tanzania (part 2) -- from YouTube