Focus on the joy of books and storytelling in this year’s award week

This year’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) week begins on Monday May 25. Representatives from South African organisation PRAESA will visit Stockholm and Vimmerby to participate in an extensive program targeting students, educators, media and an interested general public.

– Through their work, PRAESA has shown how crucial books and stories are in creating rich lives for children and young people, says Director Helen Sigeland. With their efforts to make literature vibrant in several languages and to raise children’s self-esteem as a starting point, we hope to inspire and engage. Many people want to meet them, and in the program this year the interaction with students and educators are particularly prominent. We are obviously very delighted and excited about this!

PRAESA, the Project of the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa, is an organisation working to promote reading and literature for children and young people. They were announced as this year’s recipient on March 31. In Sweden, PRAESA will be represented by Director Carole Bloch, Training Coordinator Ntombizanele Mahobe and Malusi Ntoyapi, Programmes Support Officer.

Selection of planned events during the award week:

May 26 Participation in the award ceremony for the reading promotion project Children and Books.
May 26 Public talk with author and jury member Mats Kempe at Kulturhuset.
May 27 Workshop with children at Kulturhuset.
May 28 Visit to Hjulsta elementary school that runs the project "The world’s ALMA".
May 29 Visit to the Astrid Lindgren school in Vimmerby.
May 29 Opening of the new exhibition The whole world’s burning! at Astrid Lindgren’s Näs.
June 1 Award Ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

More information about the award week will be published on www.alma.se/en.