The Late retired Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the American Supreme Court once said that, ‘reading is the key that opens doors to many things. Reading shaped my dreams, and more readings made me make my dreams come true.
’[1] My love for reading was inculcated in me by my old man who introduced me to a public library, the Kenya National Library, where he enrolled me as a member. I have read many books which have given me a front row seat in life, literally, and through book-travel. I have been nurtured to love reading. I have met many people who have gifted me books because they have known of this love. They say if you can read, you make up 66% of the literate people in sub-Saharan Africa as of 2023.[2] Until the time when the Avid Readers’ Forum (ARF) was founded, I had never belonged to a community of readers and so the story begins of this noble idea.
If you happen to know “Mzee” (Elisha Zebedee Ongoya aka Joseph Lule) well, like me, you will know that his often-radical ideas on various projects and topics are always dispatched with words of wisdom over a cup of tea or a hearty African meal. He was not disappointed with the idea of the Avid Readers’ Forum. The setting was at Ndemi Place and as usual, the place was inundated with lots of food and words of wisdom.
Just a few weeks before my conversation with Mzee, we had been attending a forum themed “The Hut” at Strathmore Law School on the invitation of Dr. Ambani (presently, Prof Ambani and Dean, Kabarak Law School). “The Hut” was a beautiful forum and from our experience with it, we learnt and picked our lessons that led to the birth of the “Avid Readers’ Forum”. A classic case of peer pressure put to a good use!
After one of our many visits, I mentioned to Mzee that we should bring a similar culture to our school. He agreed but he said, ours will be different and better. It would be a family convergence of people with similar ethos, values and passion for reading owned by all of us at the law school. He then went ahead to give the vision which most of you know, by now, was never presented in a PowerPoint Presentation form or with notes for future reference (we have all accepted, Mzee suffers from an acute case of aversion to technology and formalities). Seeing that I liked the idea, I quickly grabbed the opportunity and said I would volunteer to host the ARF with him. That is how it almost all began.
Whenever new projects are implemented, resources are always key and if you have no budget then you look to those around you. You quickly mobilise your “kitchen cabinet” to render resources needed in support and to make a noble idea come into being. We had a call to discuss progress and Mzee, volunteered that our first reader would be our own JA (Joseph A. Omolo). Having learnt later that as at this time Mzee had not spoken to JA about this, it would perhaps be more accurate to say that our first reader was appointed by way of a decree by Mzee, and he obliged.
On 9th October 2019, we had our inaugural forum, where we read and discussed our first article which was Duncan Kennedy’s “African Poverty”.[3] It was very paradoxical, reading and discussing a non-legal text at a Law School forum. It was a short exciting read and by all means our JA did a fantastic job with it. For this role, he received ARF’s first appreciation award.
After our first run, the forum attracted various speakers and a growing audience that consistently showed up. The subsequent speakers I hosted included Mzee himself, William Aseka Oluchina, Lucianna Thuo (who by the way was our first female volunteer speaker and later played a significant role as a moderator for ARF events), Muthomi Thiankolou and Duncan Okubasu among others. We quickly learnt to rely on our networks and their interests in the new areas we explored in our readings. Luckily for us, none of our speakers nor the audience ever failed to show up. It was always a full house with a presentation and then open discussion. This was the clearest testament on the value of the initiative that kept us going even in the face of challenges.
The ARF grew by bounds and huge milestones and soon we moved from hosting the sessions on Saturday afternoons in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to a constant of a few Wednesdays in the semester. We had many volunteers from students to lecturers to other speakers whom we never compensated but who strongly believed in the passion for reading and the importance of inculcating a reading culture in the younger generation.
In the 3 years that I served as lead host of ARF, I learnt three important things that: a noble idea does not need much to begin; that there is beauty in wholesome reading because we need other facets of knowledge to be complete human beings and better lawyers; and that great friendships, mentorships and engagement are borne from such Forums.
This year ARF turns 5. In astrological science, 5 is believed to be a year of adventure, love and travel. I am a better person because of ARF. My mentee Gloria Harriet (RIP) was better because she started showing up at ARF and became a better person and student and so did many other people that I cannot mention here. In this year 5 and beyond, I wish ARF the very best and more adventure, love and travel. After all they say, ‘a reader travels a thousand lives before they die.’[4]
Happy 5th ARF.
[1] Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (n.d.). AZQuotes.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from AZQuotes.com Web site: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/867041.
[2] UNESCO. (2023). Adult and youth literacy: National, regional, and global trends. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386852 (UIS UNESCO) (UNESDOC UNESCO).
[3] Kennedy, D. (2012). African Poverty. Washington Law Review, 87(1), 205-235. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol87/iss1/10.
[4] Martin, G. R. R. (2011). A Dance with Dragons. Bantam Books.
