Editor, It is important to encourage the reading culture in Rwanda if people are going to foster development to a greater level. Whether someone is a subsistence farmer or a chemist, none can fulfill their full potential without the cognitive growth that comes from reading widely. Such growth is every person’s right and obligation as it contributes both to their personal as well as the country’s economic growth. To foster a strong reading habit and forge the link between people with basic literacy skills and the libraries, it is necessary to have a commission in charge of the selection of good books, summarize and possibly translate them into simple text for the public to read. Librarians will have to take the books to the people rather than wait for people to come to the books. It is necessary to provide easy and fun-reading material so that literacy skills can grow and yield fruit rather than leave books to waste away in libraries. Once people get into the reading habit, they will pass it on to their children and the demand for books will grow among Rwandans. Agnes Balisanga Lecturer
