Book clubs: Why reading circles matter, grow them

Kakamega Book Club members led by Prof. Egara Kabaji (seated right) and Esther Azinga Wanga (seated center) the Author of the book Job loss A blessing or A Cursed Curse displays the book during the discussion of the book in a Kakamega hotel on March 2, 2020.[FILE,Standard]

While serving as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, in 2009, I encountered one of those rare moments that expanded my imagination. One afternoon, I received an unusual invitation. A group of elderly ladies wanted me to join their book club meeting. They had formed the club in their youth, and decades later, they were still meeting, reading, and debating ideas. The youngest among them was 65, the oldest well into her 70s.

They were warm, inquisitive, and passionate about books. They asked me to suggest a Kenyan novel for their Book of the Month. Without hesitation, I recommended Margaret Ogola’s “The River and the Source.” That evening, as we discussed the book, I found myself teaching them about African culture, customs, and values. I reminded them gently that Africans are not the savages of colonial imagination, but a refined people with sophisticated social systems.

When I went back to my residence that night, I kept thinking. Why don’t we have such sustained, intergenerational book clubs in Kenya? Why are our few reading circles so fleeting, so fragile, and short-lived? This was long after my Kenya Broadcasting Corporation radio programmes, which people associate me with, had run their course and rested.

My mind drifted back to my undergraduate days at Kenyatta University. We had a vibrant book club known as the Aweri Fraternity. Those familiar with Wole Soyinka will recognise that name from Kongi’s Harvest. We were inspired by the intellectual bravery of the Aweri. But like all student passions at college, ours fizzled out once we graduated.

I have also learned a lot from frequent visits to the United Kingdom, which take me to Ipswich town, where my namesake, Kabaji Egara Jr., lives and works. Whenever I am there, I make a point of visiting the Ipswich Town Library. Each visit rekindles my fascination with the vibrant book clubs housed within that space.

But it was my American experience that rekindled the dream of doing something at home. I knew I had to start something in my hometown. I started by thinking of a home for the club and chose Wanda Gardens in Kakamega. So, one afternoon at the Gardens with friends, the idea of the Kakamega Book Club (KBC) was born. We put out the call for members on Facebook pages. Members trickled in slowly at first, then steadily. Today, seven years later, the Kakamega Book Club is arguably the most active in East and Central Africa.

What I have learned is that members come and go, and that is okay. A book club, like a home, must have room for wanderers, dreamers, and the curious. Not everyone who joins is a voracious reader. No. Some simply want to be associated with a reading community. Accommodate them. They may surprise you one day.

To sustain a club, broaden your activities. At Kakamega Book Club, we run a welfare and savings scheme where members save at least Sh200 weekly. The account is zeroed in December when members withdraw their savings to fund personal projects and share the interest accrued. Beyond reading, we instill a culture of financial discipline. And now we are partnering with a local publisher to publish our members.

We have also created a Kids’ Reading Club. Children gather in our small library to read. If you want a book club to outlive you, bring in the young. Plant the seed early. A major part of our work is planting book clubs in schools and villages.

Do not rely on sponsors. If they come, well and good; if not, so be it. We are not funded by any large institution. We depend on the goodwill of members and ordinary well-wishers. This is self-reliance at its best. However, Kongoni Network and publishers such as East African Educational Publishers (EAEP) and Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) have been generous enough to support us with books.

We have learned to celebrate life. At the end of every year, we hold our final meeting, celebrate the books we have read, reflect on the lessons learned, and enjoy our small party. We also award our Kids’ Reading Champions because every child who reads deserves to be celebrated.

To succeed, focus on big goals. Strive to grow yourself and others. Our club is looking beyond Kakamega. We are working toward a national movement. The Kakamega Book Club website is being updated to register book clubs across Kenya. Our dream is to create a forum, a grand annual festival, where family, school, university, college, and village book clubs come together to celebrate reading.

Why does this matter? We must take charge of our future and the future of our children. Reading is not merely an intellectual exercise; it sharpens our civic consciousness and strengthens our identity. We cannot leave it to anyone.