State of our nation's creativity and the crisis of shrinking minds

Prof Egara Kabaji promotes the culture of reading among the young. [Courtesy]

In August this year, Daystar University magnanimously hosted one of the largest and most energetic gatherings of Kenyan writers in recent memory. Organised by the Creative Writers Association of Kenya (C-WAK), the meeting was more than a gathering; it was a cultural pulse check. We came together not just to celebrate creativity, but to interrogate its state in the nation. Among the many issues we deliberated on, one stood out painfully: the loss of critical reading skills.

Looking back at that gathering now, and in view of my recent observations, I am convinced we are in a profound crisis. We often speak of political or economic challenges, but rarely do we acknowledge the erosion of the inner life of our nation. I am worried about the slow thinning of our reading capacity, which has considerably affected our imaginative competencies.