CODE Celebrates Family Literacy Day at Tanzanian Social Tea!

It was a couple of days early but still a wonderful way to celebrate Family Literacy Day!

The basement of St. Thomas Anglican Church in Ottawa bustled with excitement last Sunday as nearly 300 people took part in a delightful “Tanzanian Tea". The family-friendly party was organized as a way to showcase and celebrate all things Tanzanian and was a collaborative effort between Under the Mango Tree (Jaku Konbit and Jamaican Ottawa Community Association), African Fellowship and the Tanzanian Community with the participation of his Excellency Peter Kallaghe, High Commissioner of Tanzania.

Guests both young and old regaled themselves with delicious Tanzanian nibblies prepared by the Tanzanian community and, egged on by the charming emcee Tarrah Mauricette, took part in several enriching cultural activities including the “101 Ways to Wear Khangas” fashion show with Lilianne Sykes, and Ki-Swahili story-telling with Stella Haybukhai. Guests were also invited to sing along with the SIFA choir and to take in a stunning photo-expose by Heri Muhero.

CODE participated in the event by displaying its colourful selection of  Ki-Swahili “BIG BOOKS” – created through the Tanzania Book Project which supports local writers and publishers in that country. Children flocked to the giant, colourful books and their parents were thrilled to learn that there were Kiswahili books available to help their children retain their mother-tongue language.

CODE works closely with several Tanzanian book publishers and authors and appreciates the support it has received over the years from the Tanzanian High Commission in Ottawa, which was instrumental in co-sponsoring, with CODE, the launch of the Burt Award for African Literature at Library and Archives Canada in 2008. Tanzania is one of a number of African countries now participating in this literary award initiative.