THE National University of Science and Technology (Nust) yesterday donated President Mnangagwa’s biography to 36 libraries in Bulawayo so that school children and the youth can be inspired to lead.
As part of the commemoration of June 16, The Day of the African Child, Nust donated 900 books titled, A Life of Sacrifice, a biography of President Mnangagwa, who is the Chancellor of the institution. The book, which was launched last year, was penned by renowned economist and former MP Mr Eddie Cross.
Copies of the President’s biography were also donated to Zimpapers Knowledge Centre and can be found in the library at Chronicle Building. The book, published by Jarach Media, chronicles President Mnangagwa’s life from a small village in Zvishavane, his education, the sacrifices he made during the liberation war and in post-independent Zimbabwe as well as his leadership of the country so far.
The event was attended by Bulawayo City Council Deputy Mayor Councillor Mlandu Ncube, who was standing in for the Mayor Clr Solomon Mguni, representatives from Zimbabwe Libraries Association, librarians from different tertiary institutions and city libraries as well as from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services.
Donating the books, Nust Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business Development Dr Engineer William Goriwondo said the life of President Mnangagwa was an important lesson to children and the youth, as it motivates and nurtures them to strive to be ambitious and always aim high.
“The life of President Mnangagwa, as told in the book, will inspire children and the youth to make sacrifices in the development of the country. Children and the youth shoulder the future of our nation and they have the potential to transform the country. The life of President Mnangagwa is an important lesson to the children and youth, as it motivates and nurtures them to strive to be ambitious and always aim high like President Mnangagwa,” said Dr Goriwondo.
He said through the book, children and the youth will get an opportunity to share in the vision of Mnangagwa, the driver of the country’s Vision 2030 to attain an upper middleincome economy.
Dr Goriwondo said the donation provides an opportunity to challenge libraries to rewrite themselves. “Library closures during Covid-19 and the era of budget cuts for libraries demonstrate
that they are facing a bleak future. The realisation that Covid-19 is not a crisis but a new era should challenge librarians to rethink and redesign library services and management.
At Nust, Covid-19 lockdown restrictions fast-tracked our adoption of a Hybrid Library, a term coined to capture the new normal, where libraries are now offering services from home and from the library,” said Dr Goriwondo.
He said as Nust they hope this donation would revive the culture of reading.
“Libraries are the key to equal possibilities for children and the youth to access information, which enables them to participate and contribute to the development of their communities. By donating this important book, we seek to revive the culture of reading as an essential process in the growth and development of the children and the youth. We believe the earlier a person starts to access information, the more efficient and life-long this access will be,” said Dr Goriwondo.