Nairobi’s Book Club
July 3rd, 2008 | Published in Book Club, Events | 1 Comment
He walks, turning heads as he passes, people associate his face with fire brimming eloquence, denouncing corrupt politicians and calling for change. Dr. P.L.O Lumumba. He is here for the Storymoja/ Books First Book Club. It is the first ever public Storymoja Book Club in Nairobi and is held on June 5th, 2008.
The warm ambiance of Sherlock’s Den at Nakumatt Lifestyle is inviting and stimulating. The guests are fascinated by the idea of discussing a book, and one written by Barack Obama, who just the night before had succeeded in clinching the Democratic Party ticket to the US Elections in November.
The Book Club is designed for professionals with a passion for reading. As demonstrated by the June 5th meeting, a book can ignite intellectually stimulating, thought provoking discussions on topics based on the book. This particular one, Dreams from my father, by Barrack Obama, sets the room ablaze with discussions on everything from impressions from the book, race, tribe and ethnicity to educations systems, the reading culture and developmental issues in general.
On the impressions from the book, the audience follows up on a thought spawned by the moderators, PLO Lumumba and Muthoni Garland on whether Obama was indeed Kenyan, or just another American. In discussions like this, often there is no resolution to the issues brought up, but the fact that the participants are willing to open up their minds to possibilities allows for creative thought and entertaining enlightenment. So it is not surprising that the discussion moves on to how to better our education systems, why corruption permeates our society and what allowed for the making of a statesman in Barrack Obama.
The attendance for this book club meeting stands at 54 people from as far across the board as University students to corporate executives.
The book club will be held every first Monday of the month, at Sherlock’s Den. Yearly Membership is open to adults aged 25 and above and is charged at Ksh 1000, and comes with benefits which include 20% of all items bought at Bookshops at Ukay, Nyali, Mega and Embakasi as well 10% off food and drinks bought at Sherlock’s/Sherlock’s den restaurants, and 20% off gate fees at all Storymoja events.
