By Noluthando Asanda Dlamini and Minenhle Zikhali
Durban book lovers are in for a treat, as a treasure trove of tales and knowledge awaits them aboard the Logos Hope ship.
After eight years, the Logos Hope ship returned to Durban waters to host its one-of-a-kind floating book fair from 8 May to 2 June 2024.
One of the attendees, the principal of Bundle of Joy Day Care, Chantell Jansen, said taking her children on this trip has brought back memories of her experiences when she first went to the book fair.
“I am now 48, but I was lucky enough in my teens to visit the ship and to have that experience with the Assemblies of God youth group. Since then, it has been something I’ve been teaching the schoolchildren. So, I believe that it’s very important to teach them while they’re young about bringing them up in the ways of the Lord,” she said.
Jansen said it was the third time she had visited the Logos Hope ship and she has some insights.
“I think there is a good variety of books and I think mainly for the youngsters because we are in early childhood development. I’ve enjoyed that because there is a large variety of books for them. When it comes to the staff, it is always the same. They are kind, gentle and they are always helpful. The team on board is amazing, so you are never lost with anything and I think even with the guests we’ve had amazing
feedback from them. We had a couple that bought our babies muffins from the cafeteria and that was exciting. It tasted good and I’m just happy,” she added.
An SA Maritime School and Transport College student, Lethiwe Gasa, said she was looking forward to this school trip to xperience the book fair.
“Number one, I caught sight of a baking book. I’m a person who is very fond of baking. Secondly, I saw a book based on how to expand your lifespan, right, it’s very interesting I won’t lie. I discovered very interesting information on more ways to take care of yourself, how to expand your lifespan, what to eat and how to live a healthy lifestyle,” she said.
The Logos Hope media relations officer Anastasia Leushkina said that about 350 crew members from 70 countries work on board voluntarily with one vision to share knowledge, help and hope with people around the world.
“We share knowledge through the book fair that we have. We share help through the projects that we do on board and onshore. On board, we organise a lot of events for the youth, women and different people. Also, we organise different events on shore, which is great,” she said.
Leushkina added that they do a lot of behind-the-scenes work by going onshore to support local companies, organisations and schools. They do projects such as painting buildings, sometimes providing water filters in places in need of clean water, doing eye tests and providing free glasses.
“For us, it is important to mobilise people and to encourage the local communities to use their gifts and talents that God has given them and to spread this knowledge around the world. Of course, we want to build connections, we want to build friendships, relationships with people and to make a difference in someone’s life,” she said.
From Durban, the Logos Hope will sail to Cape Town, then to west Africa.
