To celebrate International Literacy Day (ILD) 2024 (8 September 2024) and South Africa’s National Book Week (5-11 September 2024), the Rare Books section of UCT’s Special Collection highlights some of the titles from its South African Children’s Literature collection, which features works in various South African languages. This collection embodies the section's commitment to promoting multilingualism by curating a collection that mirrors the nation’s cultural and social diversity, and serves educational, research, and recreational needs.

South Africa’s Linguistic Heritage

South Africa is renowned for its linguistic diversity, with 12 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Xhosa, Ndebele, Zulu, Tsivenda, Xitsonga, Sotho, Setswana, Swati, Sepedi, and South African Sign Language. This linguistic diversity is a testament to South Africa’s complex historical and cultural landscape. Multilingualism is a crucial transformative strategy, marking a transition from the dominance of certain languages in the pre-democratic period to a more inclusive multilingual literacy framework.

South African Children’s Literature Collection

The Children’s Literature collection encompasses books published in multiple South African languages. This collection has evolved significantly from its beginnings, which were marked by annual donations from the Children’s Book Forum of the Western Cape and a traveling exhibition. Currently, books are carefully selected from various publishers to fulfil the mandate of maintaining a diverse and unique collection. Prior to the disruption caused by the 2021 Jagger fire, the collection was used for teaching, learning, and research by UCT’s Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Foundation students. Books from this collection, including children’s literature in the Chancellor Oppenheimer Library (COL), have been used in the World Read Aloud campaign, where UCT librarians read stories to the UCT Educare Centre. The Children’s Literature Collection emphasizes folktales, stories that raise awareness on current issues in an engaging manner, narratives that promote diversity, and adventurous tales that stimulates imagination – all in South Africa’s languages.

The following is a selection of books currently available in the Special Collections Rare books section. Click on the book covers for short preview summaries.