First, I think we need to address the fact that the reading instruction many people receive—and I’m thinking particularly of Sierra Leone here—is not up to par.
I think one of the reasons Africans are lacking a reading culture is because the books we have access to are 1. either too scholarly, old, or boring, or 2. filled with people who don’t look like us and things we have no real experience with (crumpets and snow, for instance).
Basically, we don’t have our own children and young adult market and because of that, kids don’t grow up enjoying reading.
I write books young people will hopefully read over and over again, because that’s how you build a reading culture.