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News from the Ethiopian Children's Book Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
THE BACKGROUND
April is traditionally the time when the international community turns
its attention to children and children's books. Since 1967, April 2 has
been celebrated as International Children's Book Day, a date chosen in
honor of Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on April 2, 1805.
Andersen was a world-renowned children's book author who wrote
some 350 stories, many of which are read every day around the
world. He had a tough childhood, and he wrote with a great desire
to make people laugh and create a source of joy for children growing up
in similarly difficult situations.
ETHIOPIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK CENTER
This year, EBCEF decided it was
important to share some of this magic with the children of
Ethiopia, in celebration of the Children's Book Day and the late
author. They designed festivities for the first Ethiopian Book
Week, to be held the first week of April.
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MESKEL SQUARE
From April 1-7, youth from all over Addis Ababa
were invited to participate in the first Ethiopian Book Week.
Activities designed to promote literacy and develop an excitement for
reading were held at Meskel Square in the city center and at the book
center. Since the beginning of April also marked the anniversary
of the opening of the Ethiopian Children's Book Center, this year's
First Anniversary Celebration took place at the ECBC compound on April
3.
THE MARCH TO PARLIAMENT
On April 4 children marched from Meskel Square to
Parliament to hand over a declaration of the Ethiopian Children's Book
Week, signed by 1,040 neighborhood children, in the hopes of having the
week officially recognized by the Ethiopian government. EBCEF took
these first steps in anticipation that, with the help of other
concerned individuals, the project will gain momentum every year until
it has become a citywide and even countrywide event.
Text based on information supplied by Jonathan Goering, a volunteer at
the Ethiopian Children's Book Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
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Bookweek in Ethiopia
