“Through reading books by African authors one can see African customs, traditions and practices directly expressed in the story which resonates with readers.”

(Adam Nabila, volunteer, Kalpohin Spot)

‘Bringing Africa to the Bookshelf’ might be a particular focus for this year, but it is something EduSpots has been working on since its birth under the name of ‘Reading Spots’ in 2015. We published our first ‘Top 10 African Authors’ list in 2017, and fundraised for copies of African books across our Spots since, given that they are difficult to collect as they are less widely available.

Our aim by the end of 2022 is to enable the creation of an African fiction and non-fiction section in all of our 50 Spots. As ever, bringing a clear African fiction and non-fiction book case for adults and children is a collective aim, and requires action and commitment from everyone across our network to achieve.

The question I’m sure you are thinking: what can you do to support our aim of bringing Africa to the bookshelf in all of our Spots?

Community volunteers can:

1. Lead local fundraising initiatives (using our top tips being sent soon!)
2. Lead a local book drive (see this booklet for support!) – These locations can be done at Spots, at universities, at businesses – anywhere! Contact Lawrence ldankwah@eduspots.org for further support in Ghana.
3. Spread the word about the importance of African books being on the bookshelf, through events such as our Summer Literacy Festival activities.
4. Share our social media posts on the topic, and join the conversation!

Partners and supporters can:

1. Set up a fundraising sponsorship page (e.g. doing a challenge such as running a marathon, walking 10,000 steps each day for a month, quitting social media, leading a book club etc) towards this aim – click ‘join our team’ at the top.
2. Donate to our fundraising appeal as an organisation (£300 for a bookcase £100 for a bookshelf) – we will feature you on our partnerships page and add your logo to our ‘Bookshelf of Supporters’
3. Donate to our fundraising appeal as an individual (£300 for a bookcase £100 for a bookshelf)
4. Donate African books in Ghana or the UK
5. Attend our EduSpots author talks and leave a donation
6. Spread the word by sharing our social media posts!

Note that one bookshelf is £100 (900 cedis), one bookcase is £300 (2700 cedis). 

Why do our communities want to have more African books on their bookshelves?

Hear directly from our volunteers about why this matters to them and their communities! You can also multiple blog posts on the topic from our Founder, here.

What else are EduSpots doing to support the wider aim of creating educational resources and programmes that reflect and engage with local culture and context?

Through this survey and in the comment section, we ask you to share your favorite African storybook, fiction book or children’s book.