The Durban University of Technology (DUT) hosted a Mini-Book Fair event at the BM Patel Library, ML Sultan campus on Monday, 18 March 2024.
This was the first time DUT had hosted its Mini-Book Fair, and the Library and Corporate Affairs unit were co-hosts of the event. The purpose of the event was to provide a platform for readers, and prominent authors from DUT, to showcase their new books. Library book club members were also allowed to do soul-touching poetry recitals which were in line with the celebration of the SA Library Week. The event was facilitated by Mr Romeo Matumba, Librarian: Marketing and Communication at DUT. Attendees, especially book club members, were encouraged to make recommendations of books they wished for the library to acquire to support the culture of reading and writing.
Welcoming the guests was the Director of Library Services, Dr Malefetjane Phaladi, who explained the purpose of the day and provided vast knowledge on the culture of reading and writingHe further highlighted that developing and promoting a culture reading, writing and research is one of the strategic objectives of the library. “We need to struck the right balance both on the demand side and supply side of knowledge, by publishing books to sustain the reading culture within our communities”, said Dr Phaladi. He quoted a famous quote by Jim Rohn “Reading is essential for those who seek to raise above the ordinary”, to motivate the audience to read and write.
Dr Phaladi stated the importance of sustaining the culture of reading and writing, as knowledge is now serving as a source of economic development, human capital development and sustainability.
Writing Centre Coordinator, Professor Gift Mheta, inaugurated his book called ‘Language, Society and Communication’, which was published in 2014. He said that the idea of publishing this book came about at one of the Linguistic departmental meetings in 2010 at the University of Western Cape. He was the lecturer at that time and felt that the books used then were outdated. His book is an introductory book for first-year students and undergraduates.
“In this book, we cover as many languages that are relevant to our context. Our examples are derived from Isizulu, isiXhosa ,Tshivenda and other traditional languages,” he said.
Prof Mheta further added that the second edition was published in 2019, and plans are in place to publish the third edition of his book by 2025.
Also speaking at the event was a well-known African researcher, Dr Theodor Dame Adjin-Tettery from Ghana, who emphasised the importance of understanding Business Journalism. The Ghanaian researcher spoke of her contribution to a book written by journalism professionals from across the globe about their roles in different media outlets.
Writer, poet and photographer Dumo Xaba graced the audience with some of his poems from his book, titled ‘Uthando Lwam’. Xaba said this book is a collection of poetry about finding love, heartbreak, and accepting and experiencing love.
In closing, Mr Nhlanhla Nhleko, Manager: Campus Library and Sites expressed his gratitude to all the guests, staff, students and booksellers who had attended the fair and for making it a success. He also acknowledged the Corporate Communication for their role and sponsorship of the first ever DUT Mini-Book Fair.
Thubelihle Dumakude
