Children between the ages of four and six were equipped with knowledge about the importance of loving their country and the continent of Africa as part of the Africa Month commemoration held at Musina Nancefield Library last Friday. The initiative, part of Musina Nancefield Library's efforts, aims to instil patriotism in Africans from a young age.
The librarian at Musina Nancefield Library, Awelani Nemukombame, said they had invited children from the local Sovetso Day Care Centre to spend half a day at the library, teaching them about Africanism and the importance of citizenship in a way and language they would understand. She said: "As a public library operating within the community, we have the responsibility of making developmental contributions to the community we serve. We have also realised that when we teach children at a young age, we instil a love of reading in them and prepare them to become responsible future adults of this country."
Nemukombame said the children had also been exposed to the flags of all African countries to foster their love for the continent. "As Musina Nancefield Library, we could not achieve everything on our own without assistance from our stakeholders. We would like to thank the Musina South African Police Services and Musina Municipality for providing us with national flags and national symbol manuals to use during the session. We would also like to thank the management of the Sovetso Day Care Centre for trusting us and allowing us to spend hours with the children. As a public library, there is a need to engage with various community stakeholders, and this is just the beginning of more fruitful initiatives to come."
During the event, Musina Home Affairs office manager Mr Evans Sithi spoke to the children about the importance of citizenship and having valid documents to facilitate legal movement across the African continent.