The Street Lit Book Project is spreading hope and a love of reading throughout Durban as those who have experienced homelessness get to turn a new chapter as book vendors!
Durban, South Africa (30 April 2024)—In Durban, people who have experienced homelessness (or who have been very close to experiencing it) have been given the chance to turn a new chapter thanks to the Street Lit Book Project facilitated by the Denis Hurley Centre.
A chance to run their own small businesses while making great reads accessible, the Street Lit Book Project is made up of 20 ‘book vendors’. They share not only a love of reading and literature but also a resilience that’s seen them change their own narratives.
“Street Lit is a team of 20 amazing people. What unites us is we all believe in the power of the written word. All of us are avid readers who truly want to share our love for literature while earning a modest income.”—says project facilitator Illa Thompson.
Book vendors set up their stalls and hope to make a living from sharing their passion for books all across the City from centres to taxi ranks. Eric Badise, for one, can be found at Durban Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre, while David Jones sets up shop at Berea Centre, and Mongezi Mtolo gives coffee lovers a chance to tuck into a good book at Cortado.
“Most of [the book vendors] have permanent places to set up their book stalls—to mutually benefit their venue host, the customer and themselves,” Illa says.
“Ideally we look for a long-term venue partner—be it a busy mall, shop, business park, coffee shop or places where people gather. We are self-contained, don’t require anything from our host—other than a place to store our books and table overnight—and do our best to promote you, and use the books as an added attraction to bring people into your space,” Illa continues.
But one book vendor still needs a place to sell his books, and his name is Sbusiso Mnguni.
Familiar with popping up at events, Sibusiso is looking for a place to host him and his books more permanently. As such, the Street Lit team are reaching out to businesses, shops, centres and schools ideally in the Durban North region, to see if anyone would be happy to add a little book nook to their space.
For Street Lit, the initiative is just as much about fostering a love of reading as it is about giving the team a passion-fuelled purpose.
“Many areas in Durban don’t have access to quality books. We want to fix that. Many families only have one or two books at home—we want to fix that. Many people just need a nudge to get them to be readers: a conversation, a recommendation about what to read. We want to fix that. Boredom among homeless people can be alleviated, even in just a small way, by reading. We want to fix that.”—Illa Thompson.
Those who can help Sibusiso find a spot, or wish to learn more about Street Lit can get in touch via books@denishurleycentre.org. And don’t forget to support the book vendors if you come across them—in bright green attire with a load of books available, you can’t miss them.
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