Run by the South African Book Development Council (SABDC) in partnership with the Department Of Arts and Culture, National Book Week is South Africa’s official reading awareness week – celebrating its tenth anniversary with the hashtag #NBWturns10 in 2019.

NBW aims to mitigate the findings of the 2007 study that revealed that:

Every year during the first week of September people, organisations, companies, schools, libraries and religious groups channel their efforts towards reading and book promotion. As the SABDC we visit locations in all 9 provinces to engage with audiences from all walks of life. Pre-schoolers, grade R to 12 learners, the youth, adults and elders from communities throughout the country participate in various programme activities. This annual campaign is aimed at uncovering the thrill and magic of sharing #OURSTORIES by increasing access to books and changing perceptions around reading.

All National Book Week events promote a key message to encourage reading as a fun activity with each event, province or location tailoring the programme to meet local demands. We encourage a strong focus on promoting indigenous languages, local authors, as well as library awareness.