Storymoja Book club meetings for the month of September 2008 will be held as follows:

Nakumatt Lifestyle Books First on September 1,2008 from 6pm to 8pm. The book to be discussed is Working in Kenyatta’s Struggles by Duncan Ndegwa.

Nu-Metro Junction on September 11,2008 from 6pm to 8pm. The book to be discussed is Poison Wood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Nakumatt Lifestyle Books First on September 15,2008 from 6pm to 8pm. The book to be discussed is 7 Habits of highly effective people by Steven Covey

The first Session of the Series, opened with a reading by Poet Sitawa Namwali (Betty W. Muragori) from her poem, Say my name. Betty has a degree in zoology and botany and is happily married with three children.

The Chief Guest at this Session was Betty Radier, CEO of McCann Erickson. Soon after Sitawa’s poetry reading, Betty started her presentation with a dramatic opening, appearing dressed in industrial safety gear. She made the point, by getting rid of the gear and reappearing as a beautifully dressed lady, that women do not have to go out of their way to prove their competence. They can still be feminine, beautiful and efficiently competent in whatever career role they chose.

Betty Radier’s presentation was made by quotes, carefully chosen to demonstrate common stereotypes, common reactions to them, and the woman’s choice. The very first one pointed out: No matter what your age, religion or status in life, what we are made of mostly is unlocked potential.

Some of the main points from the presentation included the following:

• Understand who is reading your image. This will help you to present a convincing and capable persona.
• Work on your image presentation. A woman’s image is watched more than a man’s.
• Do not use femininity as an excuse for mistakes, failings and weaknesses.
• Unlearn the socialisation of femininity when in controlled situations. Do not fulfil the stereotypes; emotional, high-strung, irrational etc. Business is business.
• Network to build your business contacts, to fulfil your obligations, to learn more about the trends.
• Learn to verbalise. If we do not like something we can learn to address and vocalise it.
• Work extra hard for visible results. Stay connected to the smallest details.
• Plan. Do not allow circumstances to bog you down.

The women present were able to participate at various points of the presentation, highlighting their own experiences, and the processes that have helped them to prevail.

Elizabeth Mwaura, who is Head of Operations at EMS, explained, “I recognised my potential and chose to move to an environment where it could be unlocked.”

Susanne, a musician said, “Knowing what you want is the Key.” She stressed on strategy, focus and a definite plan.

Nyokabi pointed out, “Things might go wrong. Criticism will come up. Challenges will present themselves. Always remember that it is not personal, it is just business.”

Betty Radier closed the discussion by reminding the ladies present that;

Illiteracy is not marked by the inability to read text, but by the inability to unlearn, relearn, unwrite, rewrite, unread and reread skills, choices and life paths.

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.