CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT FROM JENTA? BY LENGDUNG TUNGCHAMMA

For all that Jenta has been known for, it has NEVER been recorded as doing anything positive. We all know this. We’ve been told this point blank to our face, infact some people are so engrossed with the narrative that they hate you once you introduce yourself as a person from Jenta.

Jenta Mangoro, Jos.

This same line of narrative came in to play at the work place of one of our library users, Pirnan Selven. He always goes to work with a book, each week he brought a new book. During free times he is found deeply engaging with his book. His boss, a Provost, observed him for a long time. On one of such reading times, the boss decided to ask him “Where do you get all these powerful books that you read all the time?” he responded by saying “We have a library in our community”. “Which community” the boss asked, “Jenta” was the response. The boss could not believe Pirnan, “Will you stop lying to me and tell me the truth? Which Jenta is that?” “Jenta, the one around Polo. We have this library called Jenta Reads Community Library”, the boss stood for some minutes and said “That’s not true. Take this money, buy a soft drink and continue reading. I love what you are doing. As for the Jenta Reads whatever, we will come back to that. It can’t be true”. He gave him some cash and left.

Jenta is a stigma, almost worse than HIV. All the well-to-do people we spoke to about Jenta Reads Community Initiative complained about how they’ve had to live with the shame when they introduce themselves as Jenta citizens.

This identity is a product of many years of bad legacy, it is a product of numerous theft, crime, addiction, teenage pregnancy, dubbing and pervert lifestyle by SOME Jenta citizens. To change the narrative, a new foundation must be laid. A generation must arise that will set the pace for a fresh identity. Some people must grow up knowing that their community is meant to be good and productive.

At the Library today, a lad picked up a book, a comic book, he read it all. Picked another one. Read it all. Pick the third time. Read it all. All this he did within 1 hour. He picked a Primary Four textbook and asked if he could read it, we asked which class he was, primary 3 he told us. He was excited about what he was doing. He begged us to dash him the books, that he loved them (Of course, we couldn’t).

While all the drama with the boy was going, I saw in him a new generation that is coming forth. A brand that has never been seen before. Children whose mind will be filled with positivity, creativity, knowledge, excellence and a quest for something more. We are raising leaders by raising readers.

As he left the library, he picked one other book and left with it. He asked if we would open tomorrow so he could get another one because he was sure he would be true with the one he picked over the night.

Sure, we will always open until we’ve made this story so great that it cannot be told by Lengdung. Just as some people worked hard to create a negative stigma, we are more committed to creating a good legend. Changed lives will be our story. That will be our testimony-we altered a life of a whole community.

#JentaReadsCommunityInitiative

#ChartingTheCourseToTheFuture

#ChangingTheNarrative

#WhereGiantsAreRaised