World Book Day: Reading Culture Among Nigerian Youth Not Dead

The World Book Day is commemorated by UNESCO annually on April 23. To mark the day this year, UNESCO has launched a “Bookface challenge”.

On its website, UNESCO said, “Our goal is to engage people in reading, and to have fun doing so. Now is the opportunity to: As a celebration for this year’s World’s Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO has created a Bookfacechallenge”.

A special assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri once posted a tweet on his official Twitter page alleging that after viewing data on Internet downloads in Africa, the majority of the downloads were for music, movies or TV shows and that Africans hardly download books.

He said “Over 90 per cent of downloads in Africa are either music or movies and TV shows. We hardly download books. Africa is too invested in entertainment and less so in education. We need to flip this!”

Speaking with some members of the National Youth Service Corps THE WHISTLER gathered that contrary to data, the reading culture among nigerian youths is not dead.

Kuyikabasi Effiong, a graduate of Lagos State University, said he makes sure he reads at least one book every two to six months depending on his schedule.

He said “the last book I read was called Afonja: The Rise by Tunde Leye. It was a good book with a very engaging story. It drove me to conduct more research on old Yoruba customs and kingship ls because of its plot”.

Adetiba Oluwatosin, a graduate of Bowen University, said she reads almost every day.

She explained that it is one of her favourite pastimes, adding that she particularly enjoys reading books under the fiction, non-fiction, and young adult fiction genres.

She said the last book she read was Chimamanda Adichie’s ‘Dear Ijeawele or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions’ and that it opened her eyes to what it takes to raise a feminist child in today’s society as well as being a feminist as a mother.

Meanwhile, Ayomide Lebi, also a graduate of Bowen University, said he does not like to read because it puts him to sleep.

Sule Enyo, who graduated from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, said the last book she read was the classic ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen and it changed her perspective on finding love and relationships.

She said “ Love and relationships, for me, have always been things you must orchestrate intentionally. Now, while I won’t disregard the intentionality needed in sustaining love and relationships, I believe you can find love in the weirdest circumstances and the most unplanned places”.

Enyo said she reads as often as she can and she enjoys reading fiction the most because it amazes her to see what the mind can imagine and how a person can visualize life the way he/she wants in a book.

Aina Abisola, a graduate of Adeleke University, said she reads very often and that she does not have a preferred genre.

She said the last book she read was called ‘The Rich Woman’ and it changed her perception of investment.

“It showed me that investment is not rocket science, neither is it gender-based. I am definitely going to take it more seriously than I used to”, she added.

Today is also a significant day in the literature world because Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, all great literary figures, died on this date in 1616.