Mezemir Girma
Mezemir Girma, African Storybook champion and founder and manager of the Ras Abebe Aregay Library in Debre Birhan, located approximately 120 Kilometers north-east of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, reflects on a huge milestone, 2000 days of library services to a community of young readers.
“It is a Sunday (19 September 2021) at the Ras Abebe Aregay Library and young children are reading quietly in a separate designated section. After reading some of the books that they have chosen, the children come together for a digital story reading session in which a laptop and projector provided by Saide, is used to project one of the multilingual storybooks from the ASb website onto the wall.
As the group of children read the story up on the wall, I go through posts on the library group’s Facebook page. Perusing the photos of events and activities undertaken in the library, one photo, in particular, catches my attention, the photo is of Robera Alemayehu reading a storybook to his younger brother Abrham on the that day we started the library on 1 April 2016.
Today the two brothers are in the library again.
Now six years later, Robera is in Grade 6 and Abrham is in Grade 2. They come to the library regularly, but they are not the only ones. We have many young readers, who like the Alemayehu brothers, have been coming to read at the library since day one!
The usual Sunday programme at the library entails storybook reading sessions followed by indoor and outdoor activities based on the storybooks that the children have read. The sessions are facilitated by the librarian, a team of volunteers and me.
The African Storybook initiative benefits many young readers in Ethiopia. Since the start of the library, we have engaged with thousands of children during the storybook projection sessions. We also participate in the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) project that supports libraries in Africa with smartphones.
The lack of libraries is a huge concern for the Debre Birhan community that seeks to improve literacy and support their children's education. There are no other libraries in the part of the town where we are based. The two public libraries supported by the government struggle to procure sufficient books and other resources to serve their communities. This makes Ras Abebe Aregay Library is a reading oasis in Debre Birhan. It serves readers from all walks of life, people who would otherwise not have the chance to read are able to spend time in the library, reading and gaining knowledge and skills that will help them to build a better future. While those who live far from Debre Birhan town, read quietly under shady trees, locally referred to as the ‘African Library’.
In the six years of the library’s existence, we have served 200,000 readers, an average of 100 a day. We are open every day of the week from the morning to the evening, including on public holidays. The 3,000 books we have in our library cover all areas of knowledge. Of course, it is not only the children who come to read here, many adults as well as older students preparing for the national exam held annually in October also frequent the library.
Left: Older students studying in the library. Right: Young children reading a projected storybook
In August 2021, I published a memoir, which focuses on the literacy journey I started mainly through my work in this library. Entitled Bieregnaw Yemoja Lij in Amharic, the book is being read by people who love and wan to promote literacy and general readers alike. It has drawn attention to the work done in our library and is inspiring others to be involved in the libraries and to improve literacy.
This week, as we celebrate the success of our library and its achievements that shine across the country, I reflect on what we do at Ras Abebe and I am convinced, more than ever, that community libraries have the potential to nurture a reading culture across our continent.
Thank you to everyone and all organisations that have supported the Ras Abebe Aregay Library and the children during our 2000-day journey! Continue to walk with us!"