The Ambassador of Indonesia to Namibia, Wisnu Edi Pratignyo on Tuesday donated books and other materials to the Lüderitz Public Library.
In his remarks Pratignyo said the donation of Indonesia children folk stories, other books and supplies to the library is the embassy’s effort to promote awareness and understanding between Namibia and Indonesia among the young generation.
“The library could help preserve the heritage values of culture of Lüderitz people as well as a place for people to enrich their knowledge of many things, a place for people to gather exchanging their views and experiences or perhaps train themselves to improve their skills,” he said.
Pratignyo said even though the world is living in the age of technology and when people need information they can find it on the internet, it does not make children interact with each other and may create social problems in society.
“Research has clearly shown that reading books from an early age equips children with the vocabulary to communicate at a higher level and to excel in problem solving. I hope the Namibian children learn how to appreciate good books, read as often and enjoy reading with their friends as a constructive way to spend their time,” stressed Pratignyo.
Extending a word of thanks to the ambassador, Lüderitz Public Library librarian, Beverley van Wyk said: “The books, games and equipment will make a big difference in our service delivery to our patrons, the RAM will increase the speed of our computers and this will enable our users to access the internet quicker and spend less time on the computers to make space for others. We really thank you for the donation.”
The ambassador and his delegation are on a two-day visit to the coastal town.
In an interview with Nampa, Pratignyo said his visit to Lüderitz is to meet with the chamber of commerce at the town with the aim to find ways on how to increase economic relations between Namibia and Indonesia.
“This year is very special as Namibia and Indonesia celebrate 30 years of diplomat relations, so the business forum that takes place on Wednesday is part of our diplomacy in bringing the two countries closer and strengthen the economic ties,” he said.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency
