Preserving our literary heritage- 2015 World Book & Copyright Day
The Primary school that won
The Primary school that won

 

WORLD Book and Copyright Day is commemorated on April 23 each year. Guyana’s formal participation in this event is recent but the country’s contribution has always being significant and that’s saying a lot for a developing country.

In general, observances of any sort are seemingly perfunctory, something to guard against in this instance where the stake is extremely high. This is not to say that this particular occasion is not celebrated in some places with elaborate planning, due pomp, publicity and international endorsement.

The winning Secondary school
The winning Secondary school

An occasion like this is too important to leave to tokenism. The book, in all its forms and manifestations, and in all its complexities including literacy, comprehension, reading skills, expression skills and writing skills are vital to a society that is working towards progress and development of each member of that society and to the overall betterment of that society.

Too much is at stake here. And as such World Book and Copyright Day must be featured prominently on the calendar of each country especially since the bigger picture includes and involves crossing borders and languages and literatures and cultures.

The National Library of Guyana, over the years, has found innovative ways to celebrate the event. One year, trees were planted in the compound of the institution as a gesture of replenishing the earth of trees from which we get paper that is utilised in the making of books.

On another occasion, the library, offered lunch and lecture on copyright to school children. This went down smoothly in that the lecturer, Dr Joyce Jonas, converted her message into a conversation with the students while using relevant examples to get home the point.

Dr Jonas also gave a personal account to illustrate the impact of copyright on all stakeholders. She explained and expressed how she felt when the book, ‘English B for CSEC/CXC – A Caribbean Examinations Council Study Guide’, was pirated just as it hit the market. That was after she had put in ‘tremendous work and huge amount of time’ in the making of the book.
Apart from content, which is the writing, the making of a text book also includes design and layout, proofing and editing, binding, covers and cover designs, illustrations and diagrams, and marketing, all of which are specialised and separate fields.
For World Book and Copyright Day 2015, the National Library and its partners – the Ministry of Education and Repsol staged a two-day ‘Readathon’ on April 23 and 24. The event took the form of an engaging and fun game not unlike the television ‘Jeopardy’. It was heartening for the organisers to witness the enthusiasm displayed by the students.
In trying to outdo the other, they showed how well they read, how much they absorbed, how much they comprehended and how well they were able to express what was read.

What was read? ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was the book selected for the primary school students and the book ‘Backfire’ for students of secondary school. Participating schools at each level read selected chapters from the titles identified.
The schools participating at the primary level were:
1. North Georgetown Primary
2. St. Margaret’s Primary
3. Winfer Gardens Primary

Repsol donated text books to National Library
Repsol donated text books to National Library

4. West Ruimveldt Primary
5. St. Gabriel’s Primary
6. South Ruimveldt Park Primary

The winning schools were:
1st place – South Ruimveldt Park Primary
2nd place – Winfer Gardens Primary
3rd Place – North Georgetown Primary

The schools participating at the secondary level were:
1. Central High
2. North Georgetown Secondary
3. North Ruimveldt Secondary
4. Cummings Lodge Secondary
5. Tutorial High

The winning schools were:
1st place – Central High
2nd place – North Georgetown
3rd place – Tutorial High

The 1st place schools received a scanner for the school as well as a trophy while the 2nd and 3rd placed schools were each rewarded with a trophy. Each student was given a certificate of participation.

The donated text books on display
The donated text books on display

The judges were kept on their toes from the first gong right to the resounding end – the joy of the winners was unrestrained. The panel of judges was made up of Ms Samantha Williams – Ministry of Education; Ms. Sharifah Razack – Repsol/EPA; and Ms Merle James – National Library.

Apart from sponsoring the complete two-day event, Repsol donated 80 History, Geography, Biology, English & Social Studies CSEC textbooks which would augment the library’s well used/overused supply. This ‘project was a partial fulfillment of Repsol’s Global Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, which focuses on the improvement of three areas in Guyana: Education, Environment and Health’.
The main aim of World Book & Copyright Day is to focus on books, to promote reading, to encourage publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. Copyright is to encourage more creativity, better crafted works and hence more elucidation, learning and entertainment. Copyright breeds innovation.
In 1995, World Book and Copyright Day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

(Persons wishing to respond to this author are asked to telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com)

What’s Happening:
* Sharon Maas’ new novel, ‘The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q’ is now available at Austin’s Book Service.

 

by Petamber Persaud

 

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