Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule has said encouraging children to write books, and promoting a culture of reading among children will help Malawi to achieve its Vision 2063 agenda.

She made these remarks on Saturday in Lilongwe when she presided over the book launch titled “The Humble Treasure,” by Prince Chinyamunyamu.

Kamtukule highlighted the importance of giving children the freedom to be creative without parents pushing their ideas, so children can express their own ideas in their work.

“Let the young ones speak to their fellow young ones in their own language and original ideas, otherwise it will be the parent’s ideas in the book and that’s unproductive,” she said.

Prince Chinyamunyamu, a 13-year-old author, expressed gratitude to Kamtukule for her significant contribution during the book launch.

He further hailed his Project Manager, Maureen Masamba, and his parents for their continued support, saying that without them, the publication of the book would have been impossible.

“I would also like to thank Pamela Kuwali, The Country Director for Care International in Malawi, who took me through the fireside chat and question and answer segment of my book launch,” Chinyamunyamu added.

He then urged other upcoming authors to embrace their talents and abilities instead of limiting themselves, emphasising that putting limits on oneself can kill dreams.

“I hope the young readers that will read my book will understand, from a young age, the pivotal role kindness plays in this world and to begin displaying more and more compassion in their day to day life,” he said.