Donkeys Used As "Mobile Libraries" In Rural Kenya

Coastweek.com
March 19, 2010
SPECIAL REPORT BY XINHUA CORRESPONDENTS MARTIN SHARDOW
Nairobi (Xinhua)

nomadic lifestyle, rugged terrain and poor infrastructure have for many years conspired
to deny the pastoralist community a right to education

Last Thursday was warm in Magadi in the vast Rift valley province in Kenya and a small group of adults were gathering under a thorn tree at the Komiti Catholic Centre about 150 kilometers from Nairobi city centre.

Among them were eight Maasai young male adults commonly called "morans" draped in bright red togas, wielding knobkerries in one hand and a clutch of well thumbed books in the other.

Also sitting in the shade was a group of Maasai women, bedecked in traditional beaded jewellery.

The women were engaged in an animated discussion that centred on the contents of a book lying open on the lap of one of them.

Meanwhile, two donkeys with panniers strapped on their backs were ambling towards the group.

The arrival of the donkeys was greeted with cries of excitement.

What emerging from the panniers were not strings of colorful beads, or bags of sugar but a pile of books being lifted out and spread out along the back of the donkey.

It was Thursday and the day was the turn of Komiti village in Magadi, the home to the country’s source of soda ash, to be visited by the "donkey mobile library".

The residents of the area are primarily pastoralists.

The nomadic lifestyle, rugged terrain and poor infrastructure have for many years conspired to deny the pastoralist community a right to education.

However, with the donkey library services, it is easier to reach out to the pastoralists.

"Because of our mobility nature, the community could not benefit from formal schools and libraries.

"The donkey library solves this problem by coming to us.

"It regularly visits adult literacy centers and makes scheduled visits to manyattas (villages) ," Paul sigei told Xinhua.

Life in Komiti has followed much the same rhythm and routine for as long as anyone can remember.

Young men still herd cattle; elders deliberate over the choice of grazing areas as boys armed with sticks and catapults, watching over small flocks of sheep.

Outdated cultural values have contributed to their isolation.

These pastoralists have a saying that "a man can not carry a spear in his right hand, his club and herding sticks in the other hand and at the same time carry books".

The sight, now unfolding, is proof that this ancient adage no longer holds water.

The women and morans jostled each other to look at the books on display.

The titles ranged from The Orange Thieves and Shaka Zulu to the more prosaic Practical Primary English, Comprehensive Mathematics and Mkasa wa Shujaa Liyongo.

Most of the books were written in English, with a few in Swahili.

The subjects range from languages to mathematics and all types of story books.

Sombeet Sian, 19, did not attend school as a young girl.

She is optimistic that she will learn to read and write and later enroll for a tailoring course which she hopes will better her future.

"I like text books that teach me how to communicate with others and those that tell me what happened in the past.

"When I learn how to read and write, I want to join the tailoring school nearby," Sian told Xinhua holding a copy of Tujifunze Kiswahili.

Paul Sambu told Xinhua:

"Locals have an urge to acquire an education and can only be fulfilled through access to the library. It is our moral duty to help adult learners in the area.

"They have ambitions that we can help to fulfill."

"By offering them this service, we can help them realize their potential and contribute to the development of their communities." asserted Sambu.

Sambu’s enthusiasm for what he does is unmistakable.

He explained how the nomadic lifestyle put education out of reach of the pastoralist community.

"Due to the need to be mobile, the community could not benefit from formal schools and libraries.

"The donkey library solves this problem by coming to them," said Sambu.

As the older readers drift away with their latest acquisitions, Naiseri Ngombit, 18, the youngest member of the group, stepped forward to examine the books on display.

She is a young mother and the second wife of the local chief.

She was choose what books to buy.

"Books give me hope," she said.

Many of the books are supplied by Magadi Soda Company and Practical Action among other Magadi Community Development Secretariat members.

Rose Kavuu, a volunteer teacher working with Magadi Soda Company, said:

"The adult learners are very enthusiastic and happy when they see the donkeys coming.

"The mobile library has now become a part of their lives."

Article at: http://www.coastweek.com/kenxin190310-05.htm