As the world marks World Book Day this Saturday, April 23, 2011, attention has again been drawn to the centrality of the book in the nations quest for development. With President Goodluck Jonathans Bring Back The Book campaign in view, experts are of the opinion that greater impetus should be given to the campaign and the need to promote book business in the countryNOTABLE Enugu-based book publisher and famed author of Nigger at Eton and other famous novels, Mr. Dillibe Onyeama sees a seeming coincidence between last Saturdays Presidential election and this years World Book day a week later both as remarkable and divinely appointed in view of Mr. Presidents interest in promoting books and reading culture amongst Nigerians.To this end he says in an online conversation, Its remarkable, almost like a Divine endorsement of timely foresight, that World Book Day on Saturday, April 23, should fall in the same month (just a week later, in fact) that the man who made history as the first Nigerian helmsman ever to officially place our book reading culture on a pedestal - vis-a-vis the Bring Back the Book campaignwill be seeking his peoples mandate to govern them again for the next four years as President.With the echo of his now-celebrated campaign for the revival of the book culture still ringing in the ears of the nation, he has brought into sharp focus the formidable challenge posed by the vacuum in our book reading culture, created in the wake of Nigerias brain-drain crisis.Prior to that Nigeria was one of the biggest markets for English-language books amongst the worlds developing societies, when the reading appetite of our people was inspired as much for recreation and leisure as the enhancement of general education. That is understandable, because Nigeria boasts the largest population of Western-trained manpower in Black Africa, which instinctively opened their creative faculties to embrace the aesthetic beauty inherent in the art of story-telling - such as to entrench an enviable world-class reading public in our society.It would therefore be something of a betrayal to our nation and to President Jonathans Bring Back The Book campaign if Nigeria fails to celebrate the World Book Day in some meaningful way, maybe with seminars, symposia, workshops, mini-book exhibitions and cocktail parties here and there by committed stakeholders who can conduct to do any of them - punctuated by some congratulatory proclamation by the President (notwithstanding the high temperature of our ongoing election fever). Literature transcends party politics.The aesthetic magnetism of creative literature, with its attendant power to inspire and imaginative flair, not only serves to broaden ones horizon, but remains a vital tool for nation-building; and unless the people of Nigeria fully embrace the niceties of the book culture once again to the end of replacing our brain-drain with a homegrown nouveau riche in that realm of human endeavour, any other proposal for effective nation-building becomes meaningless.President Jonathans Bring Back The Book campaign has set the ball rolling by way of igniting public awareness to a tragic vacuum. His call has made a huge psychological impact when seen in the light of coming from no less authority than the Number 1 helmsman in the corridors of power. It has struck a match of public interest. That interest now requires to be warmed by some grand act of magnanimity from the same Number 1 source, some all-surpassing cash incentive tied to an official Federal Government life endowment for literature, to be held annually, and shared by sundry winners. That way we will get EVERYBODY reading and writing great novels, and ideas would be put into reality to transport Nigeria swiftly to a Second-World status, and great new literary talents would be discovered - even if they do not necessarily win in the competition.That is the only way we can regain our lost glory, this time revived on home soil, without the need for Western refinement. Indeed, such new literary talents would be in great demand off-shore, attracting both Western patronage and vital foreign exchange earnings with the sale of foreign subsidiary rights of their literary outputs.Also, teacher of English at the Abia State University, Uturu, Prof. J.O.J. Nwachukwu-Agbada believes Nigeria should be involved in celebrating this years World Book Day as a way of deepening the book culture and getting society better civilized. He argues further that Jonathans book campaign should be made more wide-spread and books made cheaper for the majority of the people to access.He further remarked thus, Should we mark World Book Day Why not Are we no longer part of the world Does the world grind to a halt because we are not yet ready Its like asking that a dance stop because some people dont know how to dance! If we no longer give prominence to book-reading and book use, dont we benefit from the contents of booksWhat can modern polities do or achieve today that is not tied to literacy and the influence of books More importantly, books constitute one of the universal icons of culture and civilization, which, as we have seen, cannot be emasculated even by the powerful ICT of the paperless office fame. At least one can always return to the book for printed facts, illustrations, pictures, memorable lines, and for the interface between reality and verisimilitude.The book situation in Nigeria is abysmally appalling. These days among the old school, ill-health, poor sight, an anemic lighting system (poor electricity) in the country, daily hassles, etc, discourage them from reading. Let it be stated that some oldies had read because they had to pass exams to earn a certificate and to obtain a job. This legacy was equally passed to their children. In each case, they were never taught to read as an enlightened form of entertainment, which would serve as a companion skill unto ones death.Among the youth, book-reading is anathema because there are no jobs! Books are meant to be read in order to obtain a certificate and thereafter obtain a job! As for entertainment, the recent youth has developed weird appetites, which books cannot satisfy. Todays youngsters believe in what they see or what they watchnew dance styles, computer games, films, football and sports (particularly wrestling), cartoons, etc,for after all, seeing is believing!The book situation is compounded by the fact that a typical book, say a novel in Nigeria, is still expensive comparative to earning power. Childrens story books produced in Nigeria can only be patronized by middle class parents who buy them for their wards. If books are made cheaper and more affordable, people will certainly read more than they are currently doing. Thus tariffs on books and book-making materials should be reduced so that book production can become a normative feature of this society, and so flourish. That way book prices will tumble considerably.President Jonathans Bring Back The Book campaign was/is a worthy idea. One occasion of campaign is not enough. My view as the President was about to commence the campaign was that sustainability should have been factored in. One summer, as the English say it, cannot make a swallow. It is not enough to launch it; we must sustain the effort to convert those who find it difficult to read. Take the campaign to schools, to social arenas and encourage the sprouting of book clubs in primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions and social associations.A community of a thousand or less in the United States has a library, actively patronized by both young and old. In spite of the fact that they are even more ensconced in the modern items of culture than our own youngsters, American youths still believe in the book. Community members rush to the library to read recent books and newspapers on the latest scandals and incidents of public interest.Stronger protective measures must be applied to ensure that authors earn maximally from their sweat. Weak structures and loopholes in our punishment system make it possible for book pirates and copyright invaders to easily get away with their criminal conquest of other peoples intellectual property. If authors fare well and live well, more people will take to writing, and a book revolution will be the obvious outcome.
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