International Literacy Day

Kickoff of "Reading Across Continents" literature initiative sparks enthusiasm among students and educators in the United States, Nigeria, Ghana

It was a global celebration September 8—and in Washington, DC, it marked "Day One" of an experiment in sharing cultures that promises to "go down in history as one of the most powerful literary experiences" that can occur, educator, author, and featured speaker Sharon M. Draper told the 275 people who came to hear about "Reading Across Continents" in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library.

Many high school students who will be part of the initiative attended the kickoff event for the project, which aims to unite readers in the United States, Ghana, and Nigeria. The students, who brought a youthful buzz of excitement and energy to the debut, go to the School Without Walls (SWW), a humanities-centered DC public high school that partners with George Washington University.

During the course of the two-year project, students and teachers from SWW will connect with students at Government Day Secondary School, Gwagwalada, Nigeria, and Regina Pacis College, Abuja, Nigeria, through reading and discussing selected books.

Draper's book, Copper Sun, will be one of the featured books. No Sweetness Here by Ama Ata Aidoo of Ghana and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie of Nigeria are also featured literary works that will be shared using live video feeds, author visits, student/teacher exchanges, blogs, and e-mail.

"It's a miracle," Draper said, "to be able to share social, cultural, historical commonalities joined via technology."

Sylvia Isaacs, assistant principal at SWW, said after the program that students today thrive on technology and that they need to be engaged in a variety of multimedia formats to make the literary experience real for them. "You can't just lecture in class or show them a video. They need to be able to participate in a 'hands-on' way."

SWW students did participate in such a fashion after welcoming and opening remarks by Margie Bell of the International Reading Association (IRA); Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL); and Barbara Walker, IRA's president; and the showing by project coordinator Mocha Ochoa of a short "Reading Across Continents" film clip by the Oracle Group. The Oracle Group produces multiple media initiatives that span across the Internet, television, radio, and community events. Kaya Henderson, deputy chancellor of DC Public Schools, also spoke.

Vincent Omekam, who was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, introduced his SWW senior classmates. Omekam plans to study pharmacy at college next year. He moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old. "It is exciting to learn about other cultures," Omekam told the audience, adding that it takes patience to appreciate a new culture and the willingness to take the time to truly listen. "If I got to travel to Nigeria with Sharon Draper, I would feel like a celebrity." He was one of the students who Draper called "pioneers" of the project—SWW seniors and the first to read Copper Sun—who trooped to the front of the room to take questions from the audience.

Audience members asked them what they had learned from reading Draper's account of 15-year-old Amari, a Nigerian girl captured in the 18th century by slave traders. She underwent excruciating hardships and eventually was sold to a Carolina plantation owner as a present for his son's 16th birthday. Students told of how the story touched them deeply because it was not merely a historical account of what happened, but the story of an individual with whom they could identify. One student said she could "feel her pain."

Another student, Miya Brown, said, "A 15-year-old is the same everywhere, whether in Africa or America, and whether it is today or many years ago. They share the same feelings, fears, and aspirations."

Some students said they didn't know much about Nigerian culture before reading the book. Draper told the audience that in her experience as a teacher, many students think Africa is a country, not a continent. Student Vincent Omekam stood by a map of Africa and pointed out where Nigeria and Ghana are located.

Students currently in the junior class at SWW will be chosen to visit Nigeria and Ghana next year because seniors who began the project will have graduated by then. The exchange component is under the auspices of the U.S. State Department.

Next on the agenda for the project is the development of a curriculum by the core team of teachers from Ghana, Nigeria, and the U.S. These participating teachers will present the curriculum at a professional development workshop in November 2008 in DC during International Education Week, said Margie Bell, education relations specialist for IRA. Draper urged anyone with an interest in the project to monitor the "Reading Across Continents" website (http://readingacrosscontinents.com), which will be updated regularly. "Reading Across Continents" is a project supported by the International Reading Association and other partners including the National Geographic–led campaign My Wonderful World. Part of the initiative is generously funded by the Youth Programs Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges, U.S. Department of State.