Independent on Saturday

Legendary storyteller Gcina Mhlophe now at your fingertips

TANYA WATERWORTH tanya.waterworth@inl.co.za

LEGENDARY South African author and storyteller Gcina Mhlophe would listen to stories about her great-grandmother Nozincwadi while she and her father were tending to family graves in Hammarsdale, just outside Durban.

“We used to clean the graves where my father would tell stories and we would sing the songs and share the jokes of each person.

“He told me about my great-grandmother Nozincwadi and how she used to keep a suitcase full of writings even though she couldn’t read or write,” said Mhlophe.

Although she searched for the suitcase and it was never found, it became an inspiration for Mhlophe, who wrote her book Nozincwadi: Mother of Books which has now been released in braille.

Speaking to the Independent on Saturday this week, Mhlophe said in 2001 she visited Sibonile School for the Blind in the Vaal Triangle, where this week children received Nozincwadi: Mother of Books in braille.

“I spoke to the children on a call on the International Day of Literacy on Wednesday this week.

“The book had been couriered to them and they were all reading it, they were ecstatic,” said Mhlophe.

She added that all children should have books to read, which must include books in braille for children who are blind or visually impaired, and said it was crucial to “build a reading nation”.

“It’s been such a big privilege to do this book in braille.

“The blind have such talent, when they meet you they don’t know what you look like and so they meet you from a spiritual place, from soul to soul,” she said.

Apart from Nozincwadi: Mother of Books coming out in braille, Mhlophe’s latest book is The Story Teller Tree and today she will be at the launch of her braille book under “The Storytelling Tree” at the Bluff Showgrounds from 11am to 2pm.

“Trees have such significance. In the past, stories were told under the tree, it’s where the first court was held, many ceremonies and often that first kiss.

“A tree can also be in remembrance of someone. Trees represent stability and protection and provide fruit and shade,” said Mhlophe, adding one of her favourite quotes: “When the roots are strong, there is no need to fear the wind”.

In support of enabling the blind access to books, Blind SA and Section 27 issued a statement this week saying that both groups were going to court to fight for the rights of those who are blind or visually impaired, by asking the court to amend the Copyright Act, which dates back to the apartheid era, so that reading materials could be reproduced in accessible formats for the blind.

The case will be heard in a virtual sitting of the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng) on September 21.

The current Copyright Act of 1978 does not allow for exceptions for copyright, making it difficult for people with visual disabilities to convert published works into accessible formats such as braille.

A FEW weeks ago, I gave kudos to eThekwini Municipality for its “Read For Rewards” programme, which is designed to get residents reading.

This week commemorated International Literacy Day, under the theme “Literacy for a Human-centred Recovery: Narrowing the Digital Divide”.

However, neither initiative would have been of much comfort to the blind or visually impaired in this country. Their access to reading material continues to be hampered by the apartheid-era Copyright Act, which allows no exception for copyrighted material to be converted into accessible formats such as braille, audio, large print or other suitable formats. This severely limits the availability of published works for people with visual disabilities, and infringes on several rights guaranteed to them under our

Constitution, including the rights to equality, dignity, education and freedom of expression.

Reading for pleasure, or to learn, is denied them.

Social justice NGO Section 27, which is taking up the battle on behalf of advocacy group Blind SA, says an amendment to the legislation, which would address these concerns, has been wending its way through Parliament since 2015.

This six-year delay is unconscionable in a country which prides itself on a Constitution that emphasises equality.

Opportunities for the disabled are limited.

They least need dinosaur-era legislation which further hampers their prospects for advancement and, indeed, quality of life.

Kudos to Gcina Mhlophe for releasing her book in braille.

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2021-09-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

http://independentonsaturday.pressreader.com/article/281543704045444

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