When Bisila Bokoko reached her hotel after dinner, a group of children were studying on the walkway, reading from the light emanating from the lobby. This was Ghana in 2009. It was also the beginning of a library project for Africa.

An African born in Europe and unexposed to the region’s energy and infrastructure problems, the image of the children stayed with her. It was Ms Bokoko’s first time in Africa, a continent which she now visits at least once every month.
After that trip to Ghana Ms Bokoko returned to New York, a city which she presently calls her home, and started the Bisila Bokoko African Literacy Project (BBALP).

Full of ideas: Bisila Bokoko

The organisation works to promote literacy by establishing well-equipped and energy-efficient libraries in rural Africa. Based in New York, the BBALP has subsidiaries in Ghana, France and Spain.

In Colombo for the Commonwealth Business Forum, Ms Bokoko spoke about her life’s greatest joy: reading. Most of her sentences either begin or end with the word ‘book’. She believes it was her interest in reading that now makes her a successful business strategist, brand ambassador and now the founder of a not-for-profit organisation.

“A book allows you to imagine. Everything you want to achieve in your life you must always imagine first,” she said in an interview with the Sunday Times. In times when many argue that the medium of print is dying, Ms Bokoko says she has unwavering faith in the power of paper. No e-books, e-papers or iPads can take that way. “I am all for innovation, but nothing can replace books. It is extremely important to hold a book or newspaper in your hand – even for children as young as one or two years of age.”

Books provided by the BBALP vary from literature to history and agriculture. A panel of librarians decide on the content, which is meant to cater to all ages. “If we had only focused on children it might have hurt family values and created a disconnect between parents and children. I don’t want a generational conflict.” 

The libraries are equipped with computer labs and are also used as reading rooms where people read stories to one another. The facilities run on solar energy. “It is very easy for children to develop a reading habit if you give them books when they are very young. If children as young as three can operate laptops and tablet computers, why can’t they read a book?”

There are two libraries currently run by the project, one in Kenya and another in Ghana. The libraries are built on school premises and can accommodate between 80 to 100 children.  “In other countries we equip already existing libraries. In Equatorial Guinea (her country of origin), for example, we stocked the National Public library with 6,000 books. In other places we are helping run mobile cart libraries and kiosks.” The literacy project’s five-year campaign called ‘With a book you will never be alone’, aims to establish five libraries by 2015. Among the countries the organisation is working in are Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

“We reach communities though the elders in the village. People should not see you as someone from outside, but a person from within.” This worked very well for her in Ghana, where the chief in Kokofu gave her a piece of land to build the first library.

Books are collected from universities and colleges and through individual donations collected at galas and fashion shows held for fund raising. “At our fund raising events we ask all participants to come with one book to donate.”

The project runs primarily on volunteers and has five permanent employees. “There are many ways to change the world. A lot of humanitarian projects require millions of dollars, but this really doesn’t need much. It costs around $15,000 to build a library. The other major cost is shipping, but even that’s not too high. Sometimes a handbag can cost more than that…”

Part of the BBALP’s long-term agenda is establishing a publishing house. “A lot of literature will die with the village elders because of the oral tradition of storytelling. We need to preserve this cultural heritage and publish these stories in local dialects,” she said, adding “Although African languages are very developed and have a script of their own, most of the written literature is in foreign languages.”

Books from her personal library have been left at hotels and donated to libraries around the world. One book remains though: ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, which is among her two favourites – the other being ‘The Power’.

Another one of her life’s loves is cinnamon. It is also one of the many things that attracts her to this island. The first thing she asks for at the café where we meet is a cup of cinnamon tea. But then the conversation on books takes over and the tea is left to run cold.

“I will be travelling to Kandy to visit the spice gardens and speak to local businesses about exporting goods to international markets.” Cinnamon export is one of her prime targets. Having worked for the US-Spain chamber of commerce for seven years, Ms Bokoko now makes sustainable business plans for companies in Africa and Europe. She is also the international brand ambassador for fashion companies.

One of her recent projects was the Pikolinos Masai Project, a line of shoes and bags designed in Kenya by women from the Masai tribe. The products were sold in 62 countries over a span of three years. “We have 27 designs made by 1,600 women.” 
She is looking for similar opportunities in Sri Lanka. “Earlier in March I met some people from Sri Lanka and I felt there was a lot of potential for handicrafts and traditional designs here which need to be more exposed to international markets. I want to engage with local entrepreneurs and explore these options,” she said. “There are beautiful things here.”

How does she find the time to do so many things? “The more work you do, the more time you have.”