{"id":23295,"date":"2021-12-20T15:53:29","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T15:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?p=23295"},"modified":"2021-12-20T14:20:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T14:20:39","slug":"the-avid-reader-who-is-helping-others-fall-in-love-with-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/the-avid-reader-who-is-helping-others-fall-in-love-with-books","title":{"rendered":"The avid reader who is helping others fall in love with books"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>By Dorcas Bello, Bird<\/b><\/p>\n

The settlement of Jenta Adamu lies on the slopes of the Jos plateau in central Nigeria, one of the oldest and most populous of the area\u2019s rural communities, its people tightly knit and interdependent. The people here share literally everything, from food to kitchens, to bathrooms and an occasional dash of gossip.<\/p>\n

This is home to 25-year-old Tungchamma Lengdung, a graduate of Computer Science from the University of Jos and a self-proclaimed bibliophile.<\/p>\n

Lengdung\u2019s obsession with books nudges him to read two to three titles each week, debunking common misconceptions and stereotypes about the reading culture in Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfricans have been on the receiving end of everything bad…that\u2019s not fair, they say we are not readers but how comes we have produced some of the world\u2019s best writers, storytellers, novelists… the list is long. I read not less than 2-3 books every week, there is so much wisdom in reading,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Motivated by a passion for philosophy and a desire to make the world a better place, he often buries himself in multiple books in the quest for wisdom that his own experiences do not directly afford him.<\/p>\n

He hopes that the knowledge he has amassed over time will give him an edge in his pursuit of a job with the United Nations and allow him to rise to the top echelons of the organisation, where he can influence positive social-economic change in Africa.<\/p>\n

A neighbourhood in Jos.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk about wars as if it is an African problem, most of human history has been fraught conflict. What I want to do is to work with the UN and rise to Secretary-General, because they have a large role to play today in bridging peace and solving world issues,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It is, however, Lengdung\u2019s passion for books that has set him apart among his peers, and is now the go-to person for book recommendations on social media, where he commands a huge following in Jos and other parts of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

He has also built a library, dubbed Jenta Reads with books from his collections and donations from friends in a bid to grow a reading culture in his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the people that reach out to me on social media, I realised that people actually like to read. Knowing how much wisdom you get from reading, my friends and I decided to donate a library to my community, maybe, it will help us with the number of crimes and problems in Jenta Adamu \u2013 give them a little more exposure,\u201d he says optimistically.<\/p>\n

The library came shortly before the Covid-19 lockdown in Jos and quickly turned out to be one of the greatest blessings to the community during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say Africans don\u2019t read, during the pandemic, I realised it\u2019s not really true, mostly it is because they do not have access to the books. During the lockdown, a lot of people borrowed books from our library, almost 15 \u2013 18 people every day,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

Lengdung\u2019s passion for books helped him land a job with Books for Africa as Director Volunteering and Networking.<\/p>\n

A young man looking through books in a Library.<\/p>\n

Books for Africa, a non-profit organization, is the leading shipper of donated text and library books to Africa, with more than 51 million books sent to 55 African countries since 1988.<\/p>\n

The late former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, described the organization as a simple idea with transformative impact.<\/p>\n

Lengdung hopes his connections with the world of books will help him achieve his life goal at the United Nations.<\/p>\n

But in the meantime, he is keeping it simple, promoting the practice of reading in his community and rectifying the age-old myth that Africans lack a reading culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ask me if I remember everything from every book my answer is somehow \u2013 it will seem like you do not remember but books give you wisdom, so you won\u2019t know until you encounter a situation. The solution just pops from one book you have read, like the words live inside your subconscious, so keep reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

www.bird.africanofilter.org<\/b><\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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