TALK FOR GWASA READING CAMPAIGN THE POWER OF READING

Salam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
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I want to start by thanking the organizers for the opportunity to share a few words with this great gathering. My name is Aliyu Wali. I am here to give a very short talk titled The Power Of Reading. At first when I was contacted by the organisers to deliver this talk, I did not know what I was going to say.
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This is because the theme is on "reviving reading culture" which is a general problem today all over the world, that different communities are trying to address with the help of experts.
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So since I have confessed that I am not an expert, 😀😀😀 it will be easier for me to talk on the topic freely, and give you my personal thoughts, without sounding like I am not making sense.
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Let me start by asking questions: Why read? Why do we read? How can reading help us become better people?
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Personally, I started reading at a very early age and the more I read, the more I wanted to read. This was because I discovered very early, that reading, was a way of gaining experience of so many things.
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I could fly in an aeroplane, be in a forest, climb a mountain and go into space! I could also eat as many sweets and biscuits I wanted - without becoming sick! Practically, I could do almost anything I want, just by picking up books.
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So in fact over time, I learned that knowledge was stored in books and that this knowledge was very powerful because it gave people an advantage in life over those who did not have it.
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Very simply, I realized that to become powerful, I needed to make books my good friends so that they can give me what they contained.
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Today, I can say that I am who I am and where I am because of the books I have read and whatever I want to become will depend on what I read today and tomorrow.
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I know that Reading is not always something people like doing especially if you are not someone who can sit in one place for a long time! 😂 Maybe that is why it is said that if you want to hide something, put it inside a book!
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However, it is the benefit that we can get that we should remember when we feel discouraged about reading. It is said: that leaders are readers and the reason is because just like I said before,  knowledge gives you power and knowledge is stored in books. So to get it out of this store, we must read!
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If you read, you gain the power, of knowing. And once you know, you become a leader because you have an advantage over others who do not know. 
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So let me end by encouraging everyone to be a reader especially the youth because it
will enable them to be leaders, for as it is commonly said: the youth are leaders of tomorrow, BUT, only if they have knowledge, which is kept in books!

In concluding, let me also say that reading goes hand in hand with writing. For whatever you read adds to your knowledge and gives you the ability to think more deeply and do things in a better way. And so, you have to also share what you gained by writing about it, since knowledge is one thing that never reduces, no matter how much is given or taken! 😊😊😊

So happy reading and writing to all!

Aliyu A. Wali