This year marks the first quinquennial celebrations of the Avid Readers’ Forum at the Kabarak University School of Law. The idea of having formal celebrations to mark five years of the Avid Readers Forum was a brainchild of Mr. Cedric Kadima, a Kabarak University alumnus and a founder member of the Avid Readers’ Forum. It was Mr Kadima whom in the year 2019, I requested to craft a brief concept note that would inform the operationalization of the Avid Readers’ Forum. Judged in the frame of his generation, history will be very kind to Mr Kadima. He was on this occasion, as he has always been, obedient. He crafted the concept note. Five years later, that simple concept note that was barely half a page in length has yielded the grand project that we now call the Avid Readers’ Forum.
It is a time to look back and respond to a simple question, that is, where did the Avid Readers’ Forum originate from?
One afternoon on 5th September 2019, I was having lunch with young men and young women at Kabarak University. An idea was born. This was at the cafeteria at the Moi High School, Kabarak not far off from the location of the School of Law, Kabarak University. This cafeteria has a rather pejorative pet name among members of the Kabarak University School of Law – it is called chafua chafua. The practice of having unsophisticated lunches and tea sessions with learners is a tradition that I have built over the years of my teaching at Kabarak University. The primary objective of these lunches and tea-taking sessions is to provide an opportunity for me to mentor students and budding academics informally. It is founded on the Swahili saying “ndege hula wakisema”. On this occasion, five years ago, I shared an idea with the young people on the table. I recall that Cedric Kadima was at that table. I am not sure if Julie Kemunto Matoke was also at that table. I recall that I was later to discuss this idea with Julie Matoke in Nairobi’s Ndemi Place. The idea was in two parts. First, we had to roll out a series called The Avid Readers Series. Second, we were to roll out the Students’ Dialogue Series. The first idea has survived and grown. The second idea started but died in infancy. As we look back five years later, we must reflect on several questions:
- What was the idea behind the Avid Readers’ Forum?
- What was the idea behind the students’ dialogue series?
- How is the Avid Readers’ Forum structured
- What has been the secret behind the survival of the Avid Readers’ Forum?
- What are the key successes of the Avid Readers’ Forum?
- What is the future of the Avid Readers’ Forum?
The idea behind the Avid Readers’ Forum
After about a decade of teaching in institutions of higher learning, I had become accustomed to accusations that the standards of legal education in Kenya were deteriorating. The particulars of this accusation were multifaceted. One of the facets of this claim was that today’s learners in the legal academy do not read. They do not read statutes. They do not read case law. They do not read journal articles. They do not read books. They do not even read classroom notes. Perhaps, they only read social media posts. As an insider, I don’t think that the claim was totally without merit. The idea behind the Avid Readers’ Forum was to change this trend. It was to provide learners with an opportunity to read. The reading was to be outside the formalities of a formal classroom. The reading was to be voluntary. The reading was to be exciting (I have always wondered how this can be actualized in the real world save that Kindergarten teachers are more innovative in this area than their higher learning counterparts). So, 5 years ago, I declared that we were going to ‘stimulate intellectual dialogue and reach for a more transformed campus’. This was going to be achieved through the Avid Readers’ Forum. Don’t get this twisted. These ideas were not as clear as they sound today. They were simple ideas whose mode of execution I wasn’t even clear about in my mind. What is sure is that I suggested that I would source journal articles, circulate them among learners and teachers, and then identify a Lead Reader to lead a discussion on the reading on an appointed date at an appointed time. I tasked Ms. Julie Kemunto Matoke to co-ordinate the execution of the forums. I also tasked Mr Kadima to take a lead. I am aware that Ms. Matoke brought on board Ms. Golo Bokao to coordinate students in the execution of this exercise. The first Lead Reader was Mr Joseph Agutu Omolo – a very encouraging budding academic. He may not remember this, but when I shared the first article for his reading to lead our discussion on 9th October 2019, he responded by asking how I knew that he would have been fascinated by this reading or something to that effect. I responded that as a parent, I knew the capabilities and interests of all my children. That when I see some of them playing with timber, I would know that I have a carpenter in the making. The reading was an article entitled African Poverty by Duncan Kennedy. On the appointed date, we converged in the School of Law Boardroom and listened to Mr. Omolo's pontificate over what this author had written and what lessons we could gather from the said article. The attendance at the event was not that good. By rough estimates, we had about 15 attendees. We were determined to progress.
The second session was on 23rd October, 2019. I was the Lead Reader. The reading on this occasion was an article entitled Markets, Democracy, and Ethnicity: Toward a New Paradigm for Law and Development by Amy L. Chua.
On 13th November 2019, Lucianna Thuo was the Lead Reader of the article entitled Politics as a Vocation by Max Weber. This was 100 years since Max Weber had delivered the lecture, on politics as a vocation somewhere in Germany. This is how we closed the year 2019. By this time, there was an emerging cadre of students who were regular attendees at these forums.
Early in the year 2020, the Lead Readers of the forums were students. Among the notable Lead Readers early in 2020 were B. Golo & J. Oanga, M. Lewinsky, Atieno Kezia, and Mark Munuhe to mention but a few.
In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic got into Kenya’s territory. Restrictions were enforced. Institutions of learning closed. The Avid Readers’ Forum was dealt a blow. This blow has turned out to have been a blessing in disguise. Kabarak University under the stewardship of Prof Kiplagat, the indefatigable and ever-innovative Vice-Chancellor, introduced online modes of learning and teaching. Within this context, the Avid Readers’ Forum began holding sessions online through the Zoom platform. It is this moment of disaster that made Avid Readers’ Forum a huge phenomenon with a global reach. Initially, with the advent of these online sessions, participants from within and outside the university would log into our events and listen in. This was shocking because, in all fairness, this new audience was never in our original plans. Five years later, the Avid Readers’ Forum boasts of a reliable audience and reading panelists across virtually all continents. Scholars from Europe, India, Australia, and the United States to mention but a few have actively participated as discussants or members of the audience in our forums.
The idea behind the students’ dialogue series
Together with the idea of having the Avid Readers’ Forum, there was another idea. This was the idea of having the Students Dialogue Series. This was supposed to be a forum organized and run by students. They were to identify thematic areas for discussion. The discussions were to take the form of a debate. The issues to be discussed were to be largely social issues revolving around their life and experiences on campus. I know for a fact that several sessions were held throughout the year 2019. However, due to poor succession planning, this idea fizzled out. I hope that someday, this idea will be re-born with better clarity of thought.
The Structure of the Avid Readers’ Forum
Over the last five years, the Avid Readers’ Forum has not operated with a very clear organogram.
I have retained my role as the convener of the forum. I have been supported by a team of talented conversation moderators such as Lucianna Thuo, Julie Matoke, Marion Joy Onchagwa, and Sylvia Nyanchama. At some point, we have outsourced people like Valentine Khaminwa and Julie from ICJ to moderate our conversations. It has been very satisfying to sit back and see these talented moderators manage deeply intellectual conversations, particularly on occasions when we have had panel discussions.
Over time, the students have identified one among their number to serve as a student coordinator of the forum. There was Golo Bokao. Then we had Marion Joy Ochangwa. Thereafter we had Sylvia Nyanchama and Ruth Jebet. These budding intellectuals have demonstrated leadership and commitment in a manner that can only be admired by anyone with a capacity to admire.
Then we have the technical people who always set up sound systems, and take photographs or do video recordings of our sessions. People like Stanley Mayaka and Elvis Soita have thrived in this area.
The forum has also benefited from a form of class representatives/class presidents whose role is to inform their respective class members of upcoming events. They circulate readings to their class members through the available communication channels. They also mobilize their members to attend the forums. These structures have evolved organically over time. I think a time has come when we can now distill a formal organizational structure of the Avid Readers’ Forums from this organic construct.
The Avid Readers Forum operates in two models. There is a model that we call “Avid Readers External”. Then there is the model that we call Avid Readers Compact”. Context is important here. When we rolled out the Avid Readers Forum was conceptualized, it was a small internal readers club at Kabarak University School of Law. Over time, and with the advent of online meeting technology, the Avid Readers Forum grew. It attracted what we now regard as our global audience. Because of this huge audience, student participation tended to move towards that of a listening audience. Greater attention tended to go towards the established scholars and jurists who log in or participate as panelists. We have retained this platform which we call “Avid Readers External”. We also decided to return the small physical meetings at the school of law boardroom where students can meet and discuss their readings without the participation of the global audience. It is this version that we called “Avid Readers Compact”.
The secret behind the survival of the Avid Readers’ Forum
The secret behind the survival and success of the Avid Readers’ Forum has been the near-spiritual commitment of the various volunteer role players to the forum. As a convener, I regard myself as blessed to be surrounded by young men and women who are willing to put their physical and intellectual muscles at play to secure the success of this idea. It is this commitment that has been the driving fuel for the Avid Readers’ Forum. Even on occasions when there have been incentives to despair, I have looked back at this team of volunteers and regained my energy to keep going. Then there is the team of men and women who have always been willing to be Lead Readers of our readings or discussants at our panel discussions. These too have given us reasons to keep going. Then there are our supporters who keep supporting us materially, as well as with their time and talent.
Prof Willy Mutunga once bought us tea and snacks for us to hold a conversation as we ate! Jared Gekombe has always supported our ICT function by setting up virtual meeting links and being on standby to troubleshoot in case of any malfunction. There have also been students willing to design our posters which advertise our events. All these people have served us free of charge!
The key successes of the Avid Readers’ Forum
The Avid Readers’ Forum has had several success stories that I am going to narrate here. The most important aspect where the Avid Readers’ Forum has succeeded is that it has bred a cadre of young men and women who regard reading as exciting and appealing. These young men and women who are always asking when the next session of the Forum shall be held have helped in stimulating intellectual dialogue and reaching for a more transformed campus. As the convener of the Forum, I am increasingly getting the feeling that we are giving learners a campus experience in intellectual terms. Learners are engaged in experiential learning through this Forum. This is in tandem with the dream of the University to institutionalize twenty-first-century methods of teaching.
The second success story for this Forum is that it has generated leaders. I have seen young students show and grow their leadership traits by playing leadership roles at the Avid Readers’ Forum. Whether they be class representatives coordinating their peers to the Forum, Student coordinators of the Forums, technical “engineers” managing sound, or simply students passing around a microphone in our meetings, I have seen the emergence of leaders.
The third success is the evolution of Moderators. Those that I sometimes call programme directors. These specialists in keeping the conversation in focus have also grown over time. I take pride in the fact that people like Lucianna Thuo emerged from being moderators at the Avid Readers’ Forum to significant roles like moderating the University’s graduation ceremonies! This is growth. This is impact.
The Avid Readers’ Forum has also attracted partnerships with like-minded personalities and institutions. The International Commission of Jurists- Kenya Section has partnered with us. The Institute for Social Accountability has partnered with us. Civil Society personalities like Wanjiru Gikonyo have partnered with us. To us, this has been no mean fete.
The Avid Readers’ Forum has also played a critical role in marketing the university to the outside world. Kabarak University School of Law has students from the larger Eastern, Central, and West African regions. It requires visibility for a law school that is barely one and a half decades old to experience this market reach.
In Conclusion - The future of the Avid Readers’ Forum
We must now ask the hard question. What is the future of the Avid Readers’ Forum? The optimist that I am has no hesitation in declaring that the future of the Avid Readers’ Forum can only be bright.
Cautiously though, the Avid Readers’ Forum must confront the next five years differently from the way it has handled the past five years. It must institutionalize itself better. We need a proper structure anchored on formal university structures. To this end, I suggest that the Office of Convener be abolished and the same be replaced by a formal Coordinator appointed by the Dean and answerable to the office of the Dean. This Coordinator should serve for a definite term, subject to renewal. The Coordinator then needs to have some latitude in constituting an Avid Readers’ Co-ordination Committee from among the members of the faculty. The Student Coordinator also needs to be appointed by the Coordinator for one year, subject to renewal. It is this Student Coordinator who will be the link between this Committee and the Avid Readers’ Class Representatives Forum. We can then retain the institution of Avid Readers’ Class Representatives Forum whose membership is ex officio. Belonging to this institution will be dependent on one serving as a class representative.
If these reforms are undertaken slowly but incrementally over the next couple of years, the next quinquennial celebrations of the Avid Readers’ Forum in 2029 will be even more exciting marked by greater stories to be told. For now, let me pen off with the words, tusomeni jameni!
And finally, lest we forget here are the words that Cedric Kadima wrote to me through the WhatsApp platform on 4th of June 2024 at 10:06 PM EAT to suggest a quinquennial celebration of the Avid Readers’ Forum:
Good evening Mzee. I hope you are grinding well.
Come 5 September 2024, ARF will turn 5 years old. I think it has achieved its purpose significantly and even impacted the country, EAC, the continent and the globe from its activities.
I propose we hold 5 special events between 5 September and 5 October 2024; based on different thematic readings (to be guided). Additionally, I can volunteer to lead a team in developing a publishable pamphlet to celebrate the 5 years. Information to be included could include a summary of our past events, notes from members, and captions from friends of ARF from all over the world.
Further, between 5 September and 5 October 2024, we can propose to have at least 10 members of ARF write blogs on the thematic areas that will be discussed in that period. We can have the thematic areas as early as possible to prepare the blogs in advance.
Lastly, if we get sufficient funding, we can conclude the celebration with a morning breakfast or a dinner. Hata kama ni chapati na maharagwe!Ni maoni tu.
