AKWENDJE
2024
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Moçâmedes Youth Literary Festival ( FELIM)
Sponsored by:
Organized by:
WHAT ARE WE?
We are a literary festival for children and youth that started from the perception that literature as an artistic and knowledge field gives people a voice, creates paths and is important for building free, fair and healthy societies for everyone.
The first edition of the Festival addressed children, adolescents and youth, specifically those from marginalized socioeconomic backgrounds. Our aim was to make books equally accessible, create spaces to encourage reading habits, develop critical thinking, enhance education and build citizenship
The festival sought to explore the empty spaces of society under the motto of decentralization of books, different forms of production of knowledge and culture, including the creation of new socio political narratives. It took place on the 7th and 8th of June 2024 in the municipality of Moçâmedes, Namibe province.
Akwendje 2024
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GOALS
WHY?
If not now, when?
If not us, who else?
If not here, where?
Akwendje 2024
realities through writing.
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IMPACT
Visual Identity
Here we present some of the visual identity elements that were used during the festival, describing the organization (speakers + schedule) , sponsorship and support.
Akwendje 2024
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3k
200k
Reach
LOCALLY
More than three thousand children aged between 6 and 18 years old.
SOCIAL MEDIA
More than 200 thousand people reached through online publications of content related to the festival.
1M
OTHER MEDIA
We were invited to talk about the festival on several television shows and various broadcasting shows too such as RTP- África, Viva Tarde at ZAP TV, Radio Escola and Radio Namibe.
Akwendge 2024: Activities
Story telling
They were carried out in three different schools, the Escola
Primary nº29 Saco-Mar, Emílio Ngongo Primary School and Pioneiro Zeca Primary School.
We had three different guests, human resources specialist Raquel Almeida, engineer Maisa Tavares and professor João Baptista Seculo.
The activities included a total of 1250 children aged between 6 and 13 years old.
Mobile Libraries
Three different structures were set up that served as mobile libraries. One in Jardim da Avenida Eduardo Mondlane, one in Bairro 5 de Abril and another on the main street in Saco-Mar. Each of the libraries had an influx of 350-750 people over the two days of the festival. They operated from 9am to 5pm.
Conversation Tables
We had a total of three conversation tables, in different places, with different themes, with the participation of different guests. The tables had mainly teenagers and young people as an audience. Numerically speaking , around 240 people participated.
Spelling words game
Spelling and word game competitions were held at the Mbanje do Livro Community Library. 135 children participated. In the end, there were a total of 5 winners for each competition, who were approved by the jury. Each of the winning children took home a school kit that included children's literary books.
Poetry around the fireplace
The poetry session around the campfire was the last event; held in the courtyard of Escola Primária Pioneiro Zeca with the participation of several local youth poets, with an audience of around 35 people.
Akwendje 2024
Storytelling Sessions
A preliminary selection of storytellers was made and they collaborated with the organization to select the stories to be told. The sessions were held in three primary schools located in Moçâmedes, two in peripheral neighborhoods and one in the city center.
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Images from the Festival
Akwendje 2024
There was a mobile library in Jardim da Avenida Eduardo Mondlane (city center), another in Bairro 5 de Abril close to a Primeiro ciclo secondary school, and another on the main street in the town of Saco-Mar. In mobile libraries, children, teenagers and young people had access to books and read freely. The libraries were open in the morning and afternoon (9am-5pm). The books were essentially children's books, but there were other titles for adults as well, all of which were previously selected and provided by the festival organizers.
Mobile Libraries
Images from the Festival
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Akwendje 2024
Conversation Tables
These were aimed at teenagers, youth and adults. The conversation tables brought together cultural producers, writers, editors and teachers to reflect on the theme of Decentralization (of Literature in its different dimensions); the importance of and the mechanisms to continually develop and stimulate the relationship between the book and the children's audience. A total of three roundtable conversations were held, two of which took place at the PRO'ART headquarters and one at the Provincial Culture Office.
Images from the Festival
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Akwendje 2024
These were carried out in the Library Mbanje do Livro, with the aim of stimulating children's quick and critical thinking skills in a playful environment. The winners were rewarded with books and school kits.
Spelling Contexts + Word games
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Images from the Festival
Poetry around the campfire
It was a moment of reading and sharing poetic texts (which mainly addressed themes of justice, freedom, fraternity, democracy, peace, etc.). It featured the participation of several young local poets. It was the last activity of the festival, during sunset on the last day, and was aimed at teenagers, youth and adults.
Images from the Festival
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MEDIA HAS TALKED ABOUT US
Link to our documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuKjiDApinQ
THANK YOU!
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