Victor EzejaWITH the advancement of Information and Communication Technology, especially personal computers, mobile phones and the social media, the culture of reading physical books appears to be fast declining among youths, a development which experts say is not healthy for knowledge and societal growth.
To stem this, parents have been advised to set up family libraries stocked with valuable books to revive reading culture. This position was canvassed by experts and book enthusiasts on Wednesday during the Readers Forum, organised as part of the 23rd Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF 23) 2021.
The forum, which started by 3 pm with the theme, “Leaders Are Readers: Why I Read What I Read,” discussed the importance of good reading culture in society, highlighting how people are formed mentally and socially by the ideas they gather through reading of books.
Founder and executive chairman of AA Holdings, Austin Avuru, said that, as part of measures to encourage reading culture, parents should give their children books as a present on their birthdays. He said this would go a long way in teaching the younger ones about the value of books and the need to read them.
Looking at the cause of decline in reading culture, a veteran actress and TV presenter, Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett, said the effect of corruption had sunk deeply into the Nigerian system and consequently polluted reading culture. According to her, people’s value system has been altered by the prevailing realities in the system.
Ajayi-Lycett said there is the need to examine the root causes of the decline in reading culture to be able to reverse the trend.
She said parents should make conscious efforts to mine the intelligence of their children by encouraging them to be curious about discovering ideas of things through the pages of books.
Contributing to the discussion, the lead anchor at Arise TV News, Dr Reuben Abati, said the emergence of various search engines like Google has worsened an already bad situation for reading physical books, as many people, including the younger ones now turn to the Internet for information on virtually everything.
Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett, Dr Reuben Abati, during the Readers Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021
Talking about organising a book fair, Abati went down memory lane observing that the last time they attended a book event was in Rivers State during the Rotimi Amaechi’s administration that used to organise a festival which was an all-reading event.
Chairman of the session who is the CEO/Publisher of Tanus Books, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, said book publishers are going out of business because of low patronage triggered by the waning culture of reading.
Jerry Adesewo, film producer, who joined the session through zoom, observed that many people, especially the younger generation, no longer see reading as virtue as a result of entertainment programmes like BBnaija which reward immorality with huge financial incentives, turning people into celebrities overnight for engaging in ludicrous activities.
Adesewo noted that some organisations have stated embarking on activities to encourage reading, and expressed the hope that such gesture would continue. He also stressed the need for recreating reading book clubs in schools as was done in the past.
One of the organisers of the event, an Arts and Culture Ambassador, Mr Jahman Anikulapo, noted that book clubs are gradually coming back. Anikulapo, a Board Member of Newstide Publications Limited, publishers of Prime Business Africa, said the gradual return of interest in ook reading is based on the consistent efforts of committed individuals and groups.
The LABAF 2021 is a weeklong festival of ideas on books and arts, organised by the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA), led by Mr Anikulapo. Who is also a former Editor of The Guardian on Sunday. The weeklong event was dedicated to Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett at 80.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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