|
We have a very uneven distribution of wealth in South Africa, the result of years of criminal racist legislation. We feel the effect of it now. In the past libraries were racially segregated with most of the resources going to the whites only facilities. Very unfair on so many levels but when you consider that whites are only 10% of the population it really makes you shake your head. Now that apartheid is gone all facilities are open to all. The hunger for learning in the previously disadvantaged sectors of the population is a joy to see but it has resulted in a flooding of all the institutions previously closed to them. The libraries are therefore under tremendous pressure.
Actually I am just being difficult. If I can afford an iliad I can afford to go buy books one more time. The idea of another cheaper reader in the meantime was tempting but I have never even seen a book on a reader am am reluctant to jump further than I have already committed to.
|