Above: our favorite Photobooth shot
Lemmy is 22 and stays on the street in the City Market area. I met him at Fountain of Hope last week and asked him to visit me at the library. He came back the next day and the day after that. Sunday afternoon, I saw him in a group seated at a stone table outdoors in the Soweto market, and he assured me he'd see me at the library Monday. He did.
Today (Tuesday), I asked the library assistants to give me their choices for "best books" in the subject areas to add to a document I'm creating. Lemmy took it upon himself to present a few of his favorites, although he has limited literacy skills and hasn't spent much time with the collection. He wanted to take part in the project. He also wanted to learn how to use my laptop, and he was able to enter bibliographic information into the document by the end of the afternoon. He selected our oversize copy of Kenneth Grahame's classic, The Wind in the Willows with detailed, large illustrations, and had a story time with a few of the very young boys who stay at Fountain of Hope. He crafted his own story based on the pictures. Rat and Mole became Lemmy and Holly, and Badger's house became Lubuto library. The kids loved the story, especially since the other characters were assigned the identities of kids they know from life in the streets. Lemmy is working on his English. He is primarily a Bemba speaker.
Here is an interview I did with Lemmy the first day I met him that morphs into an interview with Joe, who was sitting with us:
Do you like the library?
Yeah.
Why?
I like books.
What grade have you finished?
Up to grade 7.
What do you think about having books here?
If this library wasn’t here, we wouldn’t be able to see these books.
What do you think is good about having books here?
Some of these books can help us learn English and know how to read. We know different kinds of things that happen. Like histories that used to happen a long time ago.
What have you learned from being around books and reading them?
I am a newcomer in libraries. I come here and go back on the street and come here and go back. I’m not here all the time because I do not stay here.
When you’re on the street, do you ever think to yourself, ‘Hey, I want to go to the library?’”
Yes.
Do you feel different when you’re on the street? Is it different to be here in the library?
It’s quiet, and no one can make noise. In the street, you won’t think about reading because there’s too much noise. You can play cards, but you can’t be without noise.
Did you tell anyone else on the street about the library?
Only one.
What did you tell him?
I was encouraging him because he was in school before, so I told him there was a library at Fountain of Hope that could keep him busy.
I think the people who have built this library have done a good job.
This book is National Geographic Prehistoric Mammals.
Why do you like this book?
I want to know more about a long time ago.
So you opened to the Pleistocene illustration. That is in Kenya, did you know that?
No, I didn’t know that. This is a bush man.
What can you learn from the pictures in this book?
I can see from this picture that the elephant needs manzi (water) here. This is my favorite one.
Joe: He wants you to keep speaking in English, and he’ll keep speaking in English so he can get better. He wants to describe the picture in English.
Lemmy: This is my favorite because I like to see the bush and the water. I like everyone in this picture: the horse, some trees, the water, the elephant.
Joe: Holly, what do you call this one?
Me: It’s a mongoose.
Lemmy: Oh! I know it!
Joe: He is saying he has seen it before.
Lemmy: At Munda Wanga [a park/zoo near Lusaka]! I saw him about 10 times at Munda Wanga.
Me: Nice! I like Munda Wanga.
Lemmy: Mumbwe!
Joe: That's "hyena" in Bemba. In Nyanja, it’s chimbwe.
Lemmy: This one, he behaves like a dog. I’ve seen this one. In Luapula [in Zambia]. I hear them cry in the night.
Me: Let me get you a couple more books with some animals from Africa.
(Wild at Heart, an excellent photography book by Peter Godwin and Chris Johns)
Lemmy: Ah, he’s a witch! [Pointing at photo of bushman Klaas Kruiper outside his hut in Molapo, SA…research names and places.]
Me: why do you think he is a witch?
Lemmy: He’s doing witchcraft.
Joe: Will you read about this picture?
Me: turns out that he forsaw his own death and…
Joe: Hyenas again!
Lemmy: Traditional ceremony. That’s a green snake.
Me: Zama Zama, South Africa. They are training to be witch doctors.
Joe: In SA, there are so many traditional ceremonies. Different ones. Lots of dancing. In Zambia, there are also many ceremonies. Chief Mpezeni in Eastern Province, he has a nice one.
Joe: Look at this man. Why do so many people like to drink alcohol, Holly?
Lemmy: Zulu dancers. Shaka Zulu! History from long time ago in South Africa.
Me: Zulu warriors.
Joe: Yes. Maybe here we have a book on Shaka Zulu.
Me: Let me check…
Lemmy: I am too tired. (goes to sleep)
Me: This is a nice book. It’s about African Queens. I know Shaka was a guy, but take a look at it. I think you might find something. (Book: In Praise of Black Women by Simone Schwarz-Bart and Andre Schwarz-Bart)
Joe: Holly! Here in this book is Nandi. She is the mother for Shaka!
Me: Yes! That’s what I was going to show you! There are great paintings and photographs and even some songs along with the history. The history of Shaka himself is included here, so that’s all you need.
Joe: Can you read some of it to me?
Me: Yep.
Lemmy and Joe.
