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Anti-immigration activists and members of various organisations gathered outside the home affairs refugee reception office in Gqeberha. A letter writer says if literature by and about Africans was read in SA schools, it would change the mindset of the next generation
Anti-immigration activists and members of various organisations gathered outside the home affairs refugee reception office in Gqeberha. A letter writer says if literature by and about Africans was read in SA schools, it would change the mindset of the next generationPicture: THE HERALD

Violence will not resolve unemployment, but education can foster lasting understanding

Introduce stories about Africans into SA schools

Reading works by continental authors can help bridge divide between citizens and foreign nationals

1 min read
SummaryOpen the quick read
  • A call is made for basic education to incorporate African authors and literature into the South African school syllabus.
  • South Africans often remain uninformed about the lived experiences and histories of fellow Africans across the continent.
  • Reading African literature would foster empathy and help pupils understand foreign nationals on a deeper level.
  • Violence and xenophobia against foreign nationals will not resolve the country's economic crisis or joblessness.
  • Expanding children's knowledge through diverse reading materials is essential for building a more tolerant society.

I would love to know what informs the selection of literature, including novels, short stories and poetry, taught in SA schools.

With the flaring up of tensions between South Africans and foreign nationals, it is necessary for basic education to introduce African authors to their English language syllabus.

We are ignorant about Africans, as South Africans.

Our pupils need to read about African experiences and put themselves in their shoes.

When we know how it feels to be them, we'll be more sympathetic to them.

The economic situation will never be fixed by killing foreigners.

These protesters are the most unskilled among us.

Joblessness is still going to bite them.

The more our children know, the better.

Samkelo Latakisa