Dear Friends,
On February 14th in Nairobi, in collaboration with Starehe Boys’ Centre and the Manu Chandaria Foundation, we will launch the first-ever Starehe Boys’ Centre Reading Festival. This inclusive initiative is specifically designed to ignite passion for African stories among high school students from both mainstream and special schools. The official launch will be presided over by Fred Haga, Director for Special Needs Education, Ministry of Education.
Teacher Patricia, an English teacher at Starehe, raises a real issue: ‘Students in high schools often perceive literature as boring because most of the texts they encounter are tied to curriculum examinations.’ This festival is about changing that lived experience.
Our observations from the annual Digital Essay Competition entries underscore the need to encourage creativity among high school students. This vital, yet often “forgotten”, age group needs great, relatable stories. Maua Books, a publishing imprint of eKitabu, has spent the past year engaging with authors and publishers across the continent to find the best books for young readers.
A highlight of the festival will be an exploration of When Love Says Goodbye by Scholastica Moraa, Mvua Press’s debut publication. The event will also officially mark the first anniversary of the book's publication. When Love Says Goodbye is available in print, ebook, audiobook and braille formats. It has also been translated into Italian. This milestone celebrates not just the book, but also the inspiring journey of its author, a Kendeka prize winner who began writing poems in high school.
We aim to make this Reading Festival a regular event, specifically targeting young adults from 12 to 18 years in high schools nationwide. If you wish to have your students participate in this inaugural festival, please contact us at support@ekitabu.com or
call 0740 524629.
Warmest regards,
Will