Maybe Nigerians Read

The smell of incense, the fullness of Mass and the sale of books. Absolutely interesting day, brilliant idea and a whole new experience in marketing books.

When I got to the Christ the King Catholic Church Ilasamaja about 8.15am, I wasn't entirely sure how the day was going to go and if it would be worth our while at all.

We hurriedly set up since we were informed first Mass would be done at 8.30am. It didn't end until 9.15. So there I was beginning to be sceptical because I already thought, this is a church not a reading community. Not that my thoughts was too far from the truth.

First mass finally ended and there was an influx of Parishioners coming to see what books we had, I panicked, thinking, how the hell were we going to cope with not just the books which they thought looked interesting, but with all the questions they asked. I might as well have been a lecturer with all the explanations I gave concerning books today.

Amazingly though, I virtually witnessed what I had taken to be a cliché, my very first experience dealing with a group of non reading Nigerians, who believe reading or buying a book isn't so important especially for children. The shock of it as I saw kids who looked clueless and parents who made me feel I was Einstein was truly disturbing.

Thankfully there was to be a competition, so they had to buy books, well if that was what made these Parishioners buy the books, I had to applaud.

All in all, bottom-line we raked in sales. Would our presence today translate into a reading awareness? I'm not entirely sure about that, unless of course more competitions are organised and prizes as an incentive to get more eyes stuck to a book. Maybe.