Congratulations to six African scholarship winners

Scholarship winners - top row, from left, Djillali Chatane, Mukhethwa Tshisikule and Isa Maganda. Second row, from left, Allan Hagwelele Mudenda, Felicia Kuubepuo and Thuletu Mlumbi-Javu.

Posted: February 9, 2018

Congratulations to six young African public library innovators who have won scholarships to take part in the Third African Public Libraries Summit in Durban, South Africa. The summit will be attended by public library leadership and librarians, government officials and information stakeholders from across the African continent.

The scholarship are awarded by IYALI - the Initiative for Young African Library Innovators - which aims to expand the professional horizons of African public librarians and help them see their own work and achievements in a new and different light. IYALI is a partnership between the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP), the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

In August 2017, the IYALI partners selected a group of young African library innovators, on a competitive basis, to travel to Eastern Europe for an intensive learning, knowledge-sharing and networking experience. Afterwards, group members were invited to apply for scholarships to share learnings from the IYALI programme with the broader library community in Africa at the Third African Public Libraries Summit, which is organized by AfLA.

The scholarship winners will each give an Ignite Talk addressing the theme of the summit, and highlighting new ideas and innovative services implemented at their libraries. The summit theme this year is ‘Driving Development: African Public Libraries Delivering on The Development Agenda’.

Meet the scholarship winners

Algeria - Djillali Chatane, Head of Information Services at the Public Library of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Djelfa. In his Ignite Talk, Djillali will discuss a service, ‘Child Coder’, in which the library will organize computer programming classes to promote digital literacy in his community.

Ghana - Felicia Kuubepuo, Library Assistant at Sunyani Public Library (Ghana Library Authority) in southern Ghana. Felicia will speak about a new service that helps schoolchildren with their reading by using word-search and spelling games, and quizzes.

South Africa -

Mukhethwa Tshisikule, Reference Librarian at Bellville Public Library in South Africa’s Western Cape Province. Mukhethwa’s Ignite talk is titled ‘Find a Way’ and focuses on engaging community members in creating needed public library services.
Thuletu Mlumbi-Javu, Adult Librarian at Kuyasa Public Library, in Khayelitsha in South Africa’s Western Cape Province. In her Ignite Talk, Thuletu will speak about a computer and internet skills programme her library has introduced for young unemployed women.

Uganda - Isa Maganda, Chief Librarian at Nambi Sseppuuya Community Resource Centre, serving rural communities in Jinja District, eastern Uganda. Isa will speak about an acting, dance and music programme which the library organizes for children over weekends and during school holidays, to bring them in off the streets.

Zambia - Allan Hagwelele Mudenda, Provincial Librarian at the Provincial Education Office, Southern Province, Zambia. Allan will discuss new services implemented at Choma Provincial Library, including free computer classes for the community and helping citizens register bank accounts to fulfil government tax requirements.