This year’s World Book Day was celebrated on March 3. The theme for this year was “You are a Reader”. This is an important day when the world reflects on the gains made in popularising reading. It also takes stock of the steps taken in providing books to the mass of the people on earth. The book is not just a source of knowledge, but also a significant entertainment tool. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation uses the day to promote reading, publishing and copyright.
This is, by all means, an important day in Kenya. Unfortunately, not much came through from both the central and county governments. Why? Our failure to see the value of books. The book remains one of the greatest sources of knowledge. For any society to prosper, the populace has to develop a craving and urge to know.
A knowledgeable populace cannot be gullible to fall for credulous machinations. With a high level of awareness, the knowledgeable populace, inevitably, raises the politics of a nation to a more progressive level and influences its leaders to address the real issues of the moment.
Indeed, an accurate definition of development has to incorporate the empowerment of the human mind and the strengthening of its capacity to make meaningful choices in life.
For a nation to develop, the human mind has to be empowered. One of the best ways of empowering people is through exposure to books.
The term development, in its wholesome definition, has to integrate all activities that enhance intellectual aptitude. Reading is one of these activities. The indicators that determine the Gross Domestic Readership are crucial in determining the level of development. Without this, we can only get a fraction of the real picture of development, when we discuss the national growth rate.
Reading does not only provide us with the opportunity to enjoy intercourse with superior minds, it also raises our consciousness. It is mainly through reading that great minds share their experiences with us.
The book remains one of the greatest sources of knowledge. Reading activates the mind and exercises it. It forces the mind to discriminate and pushes us to use our imagination, making us more creative.
The more active our minds are the more agile they become.
Development psychologists estimate that less than 5 per cent of us remain creative by the age of 18. This is because, by this age, many young people will have wasted themselves watching television and videos where images and sounds are already packaged and ready for them at the flip of the button.
This lifestyle requires them to use little imagination. Everything is done for them, including telling them how to dress, think and behave. Consequently, they do not get into the habit of thinking for themselves.
It is with this in mind that I wish to propose that Kenya and the entire East Africa evolves mechanisms of popularising reading and making it fashionable.
A vigorous campaign would entail the distribution of books to all literate populations, the formation of reading clubs in schools and villages and deliberately incentivising reading through national local and community initiatives.
This will help us deconstruct the notion of success and accomplishment.
Look at the media today and you will see that it is awash with personalities that we lavishly refer to as ‘celebs’. None of them is a widely read and knowledgeable person. Reading and accomplishing things intellectually is, unfortunately, not fashionable. It is amazing how easy it is to be a ‘celeb’ in the popular context.
It is delightful to note that technology has made it easy to access books in various formats, audio, hardcopy and soft copy. It is time to reflect on the accessibility of the books in any format by the people. Let us admit that there is something wrong with the education systems in Kenya, in particular, and Africa generally. Though this is one of our goals, we do not instil a lifelong desire to read.
Ingrained in our educational systems are alienating aspects that lead to our abhorrence of the book. We are told that we have to read hard in school in order to pass exams and enjoy life. Evidently, enjoying life does not need to involve reading!
In some bizarre instances in Kenya, some students prepare bonfires using their books after their final paper in high school. At that level, they presume they have ‘finished reading.’ Those who get to the university end their reading after the final paper to ‘start enjoying life.’
Any nation with prospects of developing has to worry about this state of affairs. We have to proclaim the gospel of wide reading and lead our people to libraries and bookstores, not bars and restaurants.
As part of the development agenda, we need community libraries in every corner of the nation.
Kabaji is a Fulbright Scholar, Vice President of Pan African Writers Association and Patron of Kakamega Book Club. He is currently serving as visiting professor at Kabale University on Inter-University Council of East Africa Staff mobility Programme. Email: egarakabaji@gmail.com
