Call for participation: 2021 Library Aid Africa selfie project

The project seeks to create social media awareness about the importance of libraries as spaces for reading and learning. Interested participants should take a selfie while reading with their family or in their home library.

Participants from the following African countries can apply: Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Namibia, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

The project will focus on three major thematic areas:

• Using social media to create awareness about the importance of libraries as spaces for reading and learning.
• Driving citizen-led initiatives through mini-library/literary project.
• Communicating project impact.

Who can participate

• Participation in #libraryselfie2021 is exclusive to library users only.
• Librarians are not eligible to participate in #libraryselfie2021.
• Librarians are to guide library users on how to participate in the competition.
• Previous winners of the series are not eligible to participate.

How to participate

• Participants should take a selfie while reading with their family or in their home library.
• Upload it on their Instagram or Facebook account with the hashtag #libraryselfie2021.
• Mention or tag Library Aid Africa and indicate their location (city and country) to facilitate tracking.

The application deadline is 17 July.

Prizes

• The three participants who get the most likes in each country will be awarded with reading tablets, books, goodie bags and access to the Goethe-Institut’s e-library.
• Additionally, the first position gets a €200 (about $240) grant to implement a mini-library project targeted at promoting reading culture, literary or arts in their country.

Expected project outcome

The project will lead to evolutionary social media awareness and sensitisation about libraries and library usage. This is going to facilitate the recognition of libraries as an important institution that fosters a literate society and national development. It will also establish citizen-led library advocacy initiatives and developmental projects that will be geared towards improving reading culture.

View the original call here.