Abuja – The 2016 literary calendar of Abuja Writers Forum (AWF), is targeted at encouraging and improving good writing and reading culture among Nigerians youths.
Mr Emman Shehu, the President of the forum, made the statement on Sunday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the side lines of an event for guest writers.
The theme of the event is: “Abuja Writers Forum’s Guest Writers Session.’’
Shehu decried poor reading culture among Nigerian youths saying the forum is a platform for interaction among readers, writers, publishers and creative writers based in Abuja.
He said that the forum was organised to make positive impact on the intellectual abilities of writers, readers and youths in the society.
Shehu said, “I do not believe Nigeria do not have reading culture; rather what we have is poor reading culture,’’ he said, adding that the forum would encourage reading culture by bringing authors to read their books to the public.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“The forum will help demystify the notion people have that authors are some kind of `gods.’
“Getting authors to read from their books will enable the public ask them questions on how they wrote their books and the availability of their books.
Shehu listed two major challenges affecting reading culture in Nigeria to include unavailability of books and market coupled with affordability of books.
The AWF president told NAN that organisers of the forum were making efforts to utilise it as a medium to reactivate literary festival in Nigeria.
He called on upcoming writers to engage in research and also make efforts to read the literary works of other authors.
NAN reports that some authors that graced the occasion included Tope Fasua, the author of “Change Is Going To Come” and “The Race for Capital”.
A fiction writer and editor Mike Ekunno also attended the forum. (NAN)
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