The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

It is not African, and I haven't read the book yet, but I do give myself license to write a short entry about the film by Julian Schnabel based on the book by Jean-Dominique Bauby. I would rather not say anything about what it is about, since I can think of nothing better than to have the privilege of watching this film without knowing in advance what happens. But even knowing (as I did) it is still remarkable and heartily recommended. Trust me. Helps if you're a francophile of course.

It makes me think. The Gates Foundation, I heard from a friend, is sponsoring macroeconomists to spend time in Africa to try to come up with solutions to solve problems. A very strange approach. Everyone understands that African polities are seriously messed up. One reason they are messed up is because civil society has few powerful tropes to combat the "leader", who basically says, "Don't even think about crossing me, I will put you in jail, and besides, if you did cross me and succeeded, the other guys behind me or you yourself would be even worse than I am." In a poor desperate society, where everyone knows how easy it is to lose in one day of violence the asset they've worked for years to acquire (a store, a bicycle, a mobilette, a car, a cow) the value placed on order is consequently immense.

Wouldn't Julian Schnabel be able to help with a little creative non-destructive disorder? Isn't African civil society likely to benefit more from visiting artists, poets, musicians, writers spending more time with their peers in Kigali, Nairobi and Brazzaville? Than from macroeconomists, I mean. Of all people.

(Insider comment: Is this a delayed reaction to Thomas Sargent's lag operators and inverting matrices that was inflicted on me like a punishment Year 1 of Ph.D. program? ;-)

Libraries are Key to Building Local Economic Base Says New Study

If true for U.S., imagine relevance for village Africa? Here's the link to the study, and an excerpt:

Public libraries build a community’s capacity for economic activity and resiliency, says a new study from the Urban Institute. Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development adds to the body of research pointing to a shift in the role of public libraries -- from a passive, recreational reading and research institution to an active economic development agent, addressing such pressing urban issues as literacy, workforce training, small business vitality and community quality of life. ... As the strong correlation between investments in early literacy and long-term economic success is documented, public libraries are expanding beyond their traditional story time services, engaging in high-impact strategies with community partners. They are leading public awareness campaigns, reaching new mothers with materials and resources that promote reading early and often. Extensive community-wide training on early literacy with home and professional child care givers is increasing levels of school readiness and success. From Providence (RI) to San Luis Obispo (CA), public libraries are reaching young children and families in diverse neighborhoods. These services are the first link in a chain of investments needed to build the educated workforce that ensures local competitiveness in the knowledge economy.

Children's book Sikulu and Harambe

Steve Cisler

I'd like to write just a few words about Steve, but feel at a loss given the expanding circle of good friends of his who are writing remembrances. See, for example, this entry from boing boing that also gives a list of some other entries. I met Steve quite recently when he came to work at the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University. As a librarian he immediately offered wise counsel for our very small Friends of African Village Libraries project... Discussions with Steve were always hands-on... one day when talking about the pros and cons of computers in libraries in rural Africa, we'd end up exploring his OLPC computer. Another time, talking about making micro-books, a subject dear to both of us, he returned the next day with a little cut-and-paste do-it-yourself-through-folding book he had started exploring. I think he got a serious case of "West Africa/Peace Corps remembrance fever" with me, since I get to go to Burkina Faso so much. But he always approached things with equanimity- a plain-spoken, this is the way the world is quality that I found very appealing. The last time I spoke with Steve he told me he was quite ill, but I didn't appreciate just how much. But his tone was melancholy, and when I went home that afternoon it was a beautiful slightly stormy day, and two palm trees outside my home window were swaying in a way that reminded me of a Hollis Frampton movie I'd seen long ago. Looking for the movie online, I came across this clip of Hollis Frampton's short movie Gloria!, which I think perfectly encapsulates all the complex feelings we have about saying goodbye to a life well-lived and a person well-loved.

Writing at the periphery of literature

I gave a quick read to an interesting short book chapter:

Orthopraxy, Writing and Identity – Shaping lives through borrowed genres in Congo, by Jan Blommaert, in Jim Martin and Ruth Wodak (eds), Re/Reading the past, Amsterdam, 2003, 177-194.

Blommaert presents two texts written by Congolese sometime during the 1970s-80s. One is a kind of autobiography, the other a piece of history by a relatively well-known Congolese folk-painter Tshibumba Kanda Matulu. Both suggest how people without much formal education can nevertheless engage in literacy practices... but neither work was intended for mass publication- they were each intended for a "single" reader... makes one wonder how many books are out there unproduced...

Carole Bloch... interesting literacy activist - scholar in South Africa

I just stumbled across this summary of her dissertation. She seems to have enormous energy, producing children's books and cogent analysis... one extract:

One of the challenges we face in situations of scarcity is that every effort seems to be only a drop in the ocean, but at the same time a precious drop, and there is thus a tendency to try and achieve all things with each bit of material produced. We have to achieve a balance between allowing for free creative expression and making appropriate decisions that reflect considered values, positive role models and balanced perspectives for gender, age, rural-urban setting, disability, health, religion and so on. This is not to be politically correct, but a recognition that if we are to offer ways for all children to discover the joy of reading and come to experience it as personally meaningful and satisfying, they have to be able to find something of themselves in the text. It is when stories, including both their written and visual texts, are able to reach children at an affective level, ?in a warm emotional context? (Frost et al 2005:63) that they wield their magic and power. Sometimes rough, but authentic examples of the beginnings of this process exist in stories for young children. Brave Little Cat 2003), which arose from the first writers and illustrators workshop that I initiated and facilitated on behalf of PRAESA (see Appendix 1), tells a story about little Ra-cat, who had a lot to cope with:

Ra-cat felt sick as if there was a big storm going on in his stomach.
He didn’t know what to feel first.
Anger, sadness or loneliness.
And it was all his mom’s fault (Maqeba 2003:2).

His mom was drunk and didn’t care for him and he had to bare the derision of his
teacher and classmates when he came to school dirty. But he finally found friendship and a home with Chicky, whose mother took him under her wing, saying, “A young cat like you shouldn’t be alone with all his sorrow” (Maqeba 2003:22). It is a compelling story because it is written and illustrated from the heart of the author, Mzamo Maqeba and it speaks to the themes of innumerable childhoods, which can be dealt with in a story in powerful but subtle ways.

Now I want to read it!!!!

An Intro to Wole Soyinka & Death and the King's Horseman

Books for Niankorodougou

FAVL was pleased to be able to help the library of Niankordougou with two boxes of books, from the 65 donated by the Burkinabe Ministry of Culture... this is FAVL in action, as a support for community libraries! Pictured from left are Meghann Coughlin, Peace Corps volunteer, Moussa Ouattara, niankordodougou librarian, and Viviane Nabie, FAVL rep in Ouagadougou.

David Pace and Kathy Knowles photo exhibit...

Just a few quick shots from FAVL Treasurer Deb Garvey...

Available for free download... reader development in Africa

Reader Development and Reading Promotion: Recent experiences from seven countries in Africa

I browsed through some of the chapters online- pretty spotty in terms of quality, unfortunately. But great as an introduction and way to get some ideas. The publisher's blurb:

Reader development activities by public libraries in different regions of Africa are examined through a case study approach. Reading has a crucial role to play in creating independent learners, and in helping people understand themselves and others better. Although the promotion of books and reading has long been an activity carried out by libraries, the recognition that librarians need to be actively involved in the reading development of children, young people and adults is a recent development. Among the programmes included are books for infants, reading competitions, reading tents, reading enrichment schemes, book-based literacy instruction, women's reading corners, promotion of reading to adult learners.

The publication of this book is the result of requests made by participants at a workshop on Reader Development and Reading Promotion, held during the Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Librarians (SCECSAL) in Johannesburg in April 2002. Financial assistance has been made available through The Carnegie Corporation of New York's current programme supporting the development of public libraries in Africa.

Meghann's blog for Niankorodougou library

Peace Corps volunteer Meghann Coughlin just created a library blog which she will be posting regular updates to.... check it out.

This speaks to a broader project we are slowly undertaking at FAVL, which is to get every community library in Sub-Saharan Africa mapped onto Google Earth, and linked to a library blog like Meghann's, so that ultimately anyone, anywhere, who wants to be a "friend" of a small community library in Africa can look up the community libraries in the geographic area and also read blog entries and comments to find out how the libraries are doing. And then.... once the libraries themselves are electrified and connected to the Internet, the libraries can use the tool to "associate" amongst themselves. If Jeffrey Sachs is the winner of the "my idea is right and will come to pass" race, then all should be in place by 2015. If Bill Easterly wins the race, then 2030. If Paul Collier is right, then the bottom billion that we are talking about here can't expect to live in the world of information flowing freely until 2050.... I'm a Collierite, so am fully committed to being there in 2050 for the virtual ribbon cutting ceremony.

Not at all bad French novel by Yasmina Reza - Adam Haberberg

As the New York Times review suggests at the end, this novel can be read in about three hours. Basically a variant of L'Etranger... what are we doing here on this earth? How do we achieve meaning in our lives? Not sure that there was much wisdom in the end, but it's a good read in terms of posing the question. Reza had a short profile in The New Yorker- she's apparently just written a 'campaign trail' book about Sarkozy, whom she followed around.

65 boxes of books on the way....

The Ministry of Culture of Burkina Faso, through the offices of the National Library of Burkina Faso, donated 65 boxes of French books, a mix of used and new books, to the five libraries supported by FAVL in the province of Tuy. Here's the photo of the presentation of the donation. There's a check with the books too, but that's still winding its way through the bureaucracy. FAVL and the five libraries are very grateful to the Ministry of Culture. It's really rewarding to see the Ministry rewarding our local-international NGO partnership. We hope it is just the beginning of a productive relationship. Featured in the photo are FAVL representative Viviane Nabie (first from left) and FAVL regional coordinator Koura Donkoui (third from left), along with representative from the National Center for the Reading and Culture (CENALAC), Madame Zoungrana Laurence (fourth from left) and a representative of the National Library, BANSERNE Stéphane (second from left).

[in French, from the monthly librarian meeting in Burkina Faso] Rappel des taches gerants entretien des bibliothiques

Ce volet a été exposé par OUEDRAOGO Bibata gérante de la bibliothèque de Koumbia. Elle s’est inspirée du manuel du bibliothécaire pour rappeler tout d’abord les tâches des gérants avant de s’attarder sur la question entretien bibliothèques. A ce sujet, elle a parlé de la propreté de la bibliothèque et de la cour, le rangements des livres la consécration des archives, la mise à jour des cahiers de travail. Ensuite la parole a été donnée aux participants d’apporter des compléments, des suggestions sur la question l’entretien de la bibliothèque. Sur ce point, les intervenants ont souligné que la propreté des lieux constitue la première image du gérant. La première impression d’un visiteur est relative à ces aspects. Il est demande au gérant chaque bibliothèque d’en faire tâche préliminaire et quotidienne pour que ce lieu soit attrayant. D’autres ajouteront que "la propreté est l’image du gérant" les observations de CHELSEA sur la question ont porté sur le rongements des cartons et autres papiers qu’elle a rencontre dans certaines bibliothèques. Elle suggère une bonne organisation et dispersion des cartons et autre papiers déposés dans les bibliothèque. Selon les débats, la propreté atterrie les lecteurs. Des difficultés ont été évoquées quant à la salissure fréquente par les enfants en dehors des heures d’ouverture. Les uns et les autres ont trouve que cela est assez intéressant car ces mêmes enfants constituent des futurs lecteurs voir des lecteurs. Il n’est pas nécessaire de les chasser ou de les interdire plutôt de les sensibiliser pour avoir les bonne manières sur la propreté. Pourquoi ne pas organiser des journées de salubrité en les impliquant? Beaucoup d’entre eux pourraient acquérir des savoirs être dans le domaine de la propreté. En conclusion il est recommandé à tous les gérants de prendre toutes les dispositions pour maintenir les bibliothèques propres, organiser de temps en temps des journées de salubrité, enlever les toiles d’araignée.

Gender differences in reading in the U.S.

From a paper "Children reading fiction books because they want to" by Jan C. van Ours, January, 2006, available here through SSRN, the following summary of a paper by Tepper intrigued me because the surveys I have been doing in Burkina Faso find no big gender differences in reading habits of secondary school students.

Tepper (2000) investigates why in the US women are more than twice as likely to be readers of fiction than men. He has two competing hypotheses. One hypothesis is that women read more fiction because cultural norms and patterns of socialization emphasize fiction reading as an appropriate activity for young girls. The other hypothesis is that women read more because they develop the cognitive skills necessary to read at an earlier age than boys do and remain more proficient readers throughout their lifetimes. In other words, the two competing hypotheses are that women read more fiction either because they are encouraged to read by parents and teachers, or because they are better readers. Tepper concludes that the data provide strong support for the socialization theory and virtually no support for the cognition arguments: many American parents view fiction reading as an appropriate activity for girls and as inappropriate for boys.

And here is a nice blog post from Purple Motes on the subject.

Dirtbags?

An Initiative on Reading Is Rated Ineffective

Sam Dillon
The New York Times

Published: May 2, 2008

President Bush’s $1 billion a year initiative to teach reading to low-income children has not helped improve their reading comprehension, according to a Department of Education report released on Thursday.

The program, known as Reading First, drew on some of Mr. Bush’s educational experiences as Texas governor, and at his insistence Congress included it in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that passed by bipartisan majorities in 2001. It has been a subject of dispute almost ever since, however, with the Bush administration and some state officials characterizing the program as beneficial for young students, and Congressional Democrats and federal investigators criticizing conflict of interest among its top advisers.

“Reading First did not improve students’ reading comprehension,” concluded the report, which was mandated by Congress and carried out by the Department of Education’s research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences. “The program did not increase the percentages of students in grades one, two or three whose reading comprehension scores were at or above grade level.”

The study, “Reading First Impact Study: Interim Report,” analyzes the performance of students in 12 states who were in grades one to three during the 2004-5 and 2005-6 school years. It is to be followed early in 2009 with a final report that will analyze additional follow-up data, the institute’s director, Grover J. Whitehurst said.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and President Bush have consistently extolled Reading First as a highly effective program. But last year, Congressional Democrats reduced financing for the program for this year by about 60 percent, to about $400 million from the $1 billion it had received in several previous years.

On Thursday, Ms. Spellings had no comment on the study. Amanda Farris, a deputy assistant secretary of education, said in a statement that Ms. Spellings planned to look at the study “to inform our efforts,” and would “look forward to reviewing the final report.”

Ms. Farris said that one of the consistent messages Ms. Spellings has heard from educators, principals and state administrators “is about the effectiveness of the Reading First program in their schools and their disappointment with Congress” for cutting its financing.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the education committee, and who has long criticized the program, said, “The Bush administration has put cronyism first and the reading skills of our children last, and this report shows the disturbing consequences.”

In 2006, John Higgins, the department’s inspector general, reported that federal officials and private contractors with ties to publishers had advised educators in several states to buy reading materials for the Reading First program from those publishers.

The Reading First director, Chris Doherty, resigned in 2006, days before the release of Mr. Higgins’s report, which disclosed a number of e-mail messages in which Mr. Doherty referred to contractors or educators who favored alternative curriculums seen as competitors to the Reading First approach as “dirtbags” who he said were “trying to crash our party.”