LORRAINE Sithole credits her passion for books to a family tradition instilled in her by her grandmother decades ago. This meant that early childhood literary success was celebrated and reinforced.
“One of the most profound moments for me when I was in primary school was when I was awarded an English book written by a local author,” she said.
Being recognised and awarded at a time when most of her peers were communicating exclusively in their mother tongue sparked a sense of ownership of her second language. Since then, she’s been unstoppable.
Years of networking, reading and writing have bolstered Sithole from a passionate self-sufficient reader to an activist aiming to pass the same attitude and love for books to different population groups.
Today, the reading activist, author and book club founder is on a mission to cultivate a culture of reading for pleasure among all South Africans.
Reading for pleasure is “the most inexpensive hobby”, said Sithole. It’s also something that doesn’t require other people.
*The views of the above article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Speaks 4 Africa or its editorial team.