09.06.20
12:36
Culture
Gugulethu township to launch first ever book joint in SA
South Africa will be commemorating Youth Month as from next week for the entire month of June.
Gugulethu township in Cape Town is itching for the relaxation of lockdown regulations so as to officially launch an epicenter of reading, Lumkile’s Book Joint. This is a space Lumkile intends to share his personal books collected over a period of 28 years. His intention is to create a space to promote a culture of reading and affirm a reading community especially the youth.
Gugulethu is an area where there is no lifestyle of reading for both young and old. What is common in most townships, including our own area, are places that sell alcohol, drugs and tshisanyamas, and nothing that stimulates the cognitive development of the community. When people think of Gugulethu, they think about the political killings of the Gugulethu Seven by the Apartheid government in the 80s or about the murder of Amy Biehl. Gugulethu history is much more than these two haunting events.
“Book cafes in countries like Japan, Belgium, India, France, and other countries are largely profit driven and strategically placed within cities to attract tourists,” said Lumkile . “The Book Joint is a space for the community to reflect, converse on various issues, and promote a developmental discourse in the community; and space to promote positive outlook about the future,” emphasized Lumkile.
A credible array of books by different authors from various the globe including our own locals, are on display to promote reading and writing in the area. The Book Joint which will be operating from a converted garage, has already attracted huge interest from many corners of our beautiful country, with people demanding to know how best they can play an active role in the development of this imperative institution meant to change people’s lives for the better. A retired lecturer based in the Eastern Cape through a radio interview on an SABC platform committed to donate her book collection amounting to over 1000 books.
Lumkile emphasized that, “The Book Joint will permanently be housed at my family home for as long as I live. I’m willing to develop or support similar initiatives across the country as long as this first book joint becomes the model and a reference.” The organizing committee working behind the scenes for the official launch of the book joint hereby acknowledge contribution Lumkile is making in not uplifting only his township but contribution this joint will have in the area and across the province and the country as a whole, and the fact that it will strategically place Gugulethu at the epicenter of the reading community. This is the same township that pioneered year-long celebrations with monthly developmental programmes cross-cutting all sectors of the community when it turned 60 years old in 2018.