Reading with Grannies

Why should an African grandmother raising children orphaned by AIDS bother to read to them?

Next week I'm returning to Johannesburg, South Africa for three weeks. I'll be visiting the two after-school programs in Thembisa where I read books when I lived there. I'm anxious to see how the library bins I left behind are being used as well as to spend time with all my young friends. Hopefully I can be an encouragement to the children's librarians working in Thembisa.

I am especially excited to have been invited to share with some African grandmothers and godparents of orphans in near-by Alexandra Township. Most of these women have no pension or social security. They expected that their grown children would care for them in their old age. Instead their children have died, leaving them responsible for young grandchildren. Community organizations attempt to come along side these families, not only to help with practical matters like groceries and filling out government forms for assistance, but also to provide the respite of simple day care and advice on raising children in a modern world that is very different from the South Africa in which these grandmothers grew up. I will be very surprised if any of these grannies owned a book as a child or had someone read to them. They may have had a granny who told them stories, but that role in modern urban culture has been taken over by the television even in the poorest of homes.

So why would an African granny read with the children she is raising?
1. Reading together builds a close relationship with that child who has lost the security of parents. It is a way of spending focused time and saying to that child, you are important to me; you have worth as a person.
2. Reading together prepares that child for success in school as he sees how much Granny values reading and learns some basic skills and concepts. And success in school will translate into better jobs in adulthood.
3. Reading with children opens doors to conversations about faith, good choices and even the process of grieving. This is the most African of reasons since traditional culture has long used stories for teaching and indirectly solving conflicts.
Of course, I will flesh out each of these ideas, and we will have fun reading some favorite books.

I hope these grannies will catch some enthusiasm for sharing books with the children in their lives. If I can get even one to sign up for a library card, I will have achieved the ultimate success!
[Picture is from Our Gran by Susan Binion, illustrated by Kathy Haasdyk (Pietermaritzburg, UBI, 2007)]