By Cyril Ehis
Olatoun Gabi-Williams SDG Anthology was unveiled at the Nigeria International Book Fair, promoting African perspectives on sustainability and education
It was a moment of exceptional learning experience as writers, librarians, booksellers, educators, and policy thinkers converged on the national theatre in Iganmu Lagos in May for the press conference and preview of the anthology Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the SDGs.
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Organized by Mrs. Olatoun Gabi-Williams, editor of Selina Publications, the event, which was part of the celebration of the 25th edition of the Nigeria International Book Fair, was held at the Cinema 2 hall of the Wole Soyinka Centre Creative Arts (National Theatre), and witnessed a large attendance.
Some of the guest panelists who spoke at the event include Mrs. Oreoluwa Lesi-W-tech, founder/proprietor of Patabar Books; Mrs. Sade Marriote, education advocate/proprietor, Banana Island International School; Dr. Wale Okediran, secretary general, Pan African Writers Association (PAWA); and Professor Rasheed Olaniyi, dean of arts, University of Ibadan.
In her opening remark, Gabi-Williams, who is the author of Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the SDGs, highlighted the lack of intimate theory, teachings, and skill programs.
She also expressed worry about the knowledge some books give kids and the need for quick fixes.
Mrs. Gibs-Williams, however, called for a thorough involvement of children in areas of science, technology, arts, and mathematics that will get the children thinking.
The major highlight of the event was the unveiling of the Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the SDGs website that was loudly appreciated by those in attendance.
Conceived and curated by Nigerian journalist and literary activist, Mrs Olatoun Gabi-Williams, the series set out to do something that development literature has rarely managed: make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals legible, personal, and genuinely readable to the people whose lives they are meant to describe.
She has described the anthology as bringing sustainability into everyday African life.
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What she has not said — but what the project makes plain — is that she has spent the better part of her adult life doing exactly that, one initiative at a time.
