BOOKCONEKT, a company specializing in the distribution and distribution of books, launched the 5th edition of the Holiday Reading Competition. It was this Saturday, June 15, 2024 in the Bluezone multipurpose room in Cotonou, in the presence of candidates and parents.
The objective of the Holiday Reading Competition is to keep young people aged 10 and over occupied with healthy distractions during the school holidays. The aim is to keep 200 young people aged 10 and over engaged in reading, improve the writing and oral skills of 200 students and develop and increase young people’s love and interest in books and reading.
The initiative was born from the observation of young people’s low enthusiasm for books and reading, the decline in their level of written and oral expression, the great distance between young people and the nearest libraries, as well as idleness and The use of television as the main distraction among students noted among learners during school holidays.
Practically, the participants will read 5 books in 5 weeks and make a reading sheet for each book read after which the 15 finalists will present a Beninese or African book of their choice, orally at the final.
Framework for reading sheets
The reading sheets are made up of the title: (what is the title of the work? In the case of a compound title, mention the full title), the literary genre: (what is the literary genre of the work? Is it a novel, a short story, a play?) and the author: (who is the author of the work? If there are several authors, put the first 3 authors).
Candidates will also include on the forms, the publishing house, the year of publication and collection: (what is the publishing house of the work, the year of publication and the collection if this is specified) , the number of pages: (how many pages does the work contain?), the characters and their roles: (cite 3 key characters and briefly present their role), a short summary of the text/work: (a short summary of the work), strong quotes and reading impressions: (3 strong quotes set out in the book and his reading impression, that is to say what he liked, why, what he didn’t like it and why.) and finally the themes addressed: (what is the main theme addressed in the book? identify 2 secondary themes and talk about them briefly).
The categories of candidates are juniors (10 to 13 years old), seniors (14 to 18 years old) and adults (18 years old and over).
The correction criteria vary according to the categories and concern substantive and formal criteria: the coherence of ideas, spelling and conjugation errors; writing.
The prizes to be won consist of trophies, tablets, books, bicycles, school supplies, etc.
During the launch ceremony which also gave rise to the distribution of books, the general manager of BOOKCONEKT, Augustino Agbémavo reassured the parents of the candidates of the great transparency surrounding the activity and urged the candidates to have courage and self-sacrifice.
Thomas AZANMASSO
