Reading groups a solution to the poor reading culture in Uganda

Sep 29, 2016

The Art of War by Sun Tzu was the book being reviewed.

Uganda suffers from a low reading culture. Most people find it hard reading long pieces and they are interested in looking out for the outstanding issues in an article which limits the development of an individual and the nation.

Reading culture is perceived as a culture where reading is valued highly and a habit among its members. Reading and writing plays an important role in everyday life since our decisions are at times influenced by what we read.

Writing and reading do are not only part of an individual while at work and school but can also be practiced at home and during leisure time.

About 6% of the 30million people in Uganda can access written information which leaves the biggest part of the population ignorant about the happenings around them and missing out on the answers to the real life circumstances.

"Today we have a very wonderful book that anyone can look out for and read because it is a highly recommended book. It has the knowledge about our everyday life experiences and it will help us understand more on how we can solve our daily problems."

"This club is a centre of acquisition of wisdom and intellectual sharpening through the written word. Each one has a story to tell and it's our desire under this club that members start transforming society by sharing their experiences through writing and publishing their work. Through this, we shall bring to an end the poor reading culture in our country"

Those were the opening remarks by Frank Kabushenga, the host of the Read and Write Club during a book review by the club members at fair way hotel in Kampala on Wednesday 21.

It was a moment of interaction amongst the group members as they discussed three chapters excerpted from the book.  In groups, the member's discussed the chapters digesting the content and relating it to their day to day experiences.

 

 rank abushenga enneth abuteya artha ayebare and haron obusinge during the rt of ar ook review hoto by amadhan bbey (L-R) Frank Kabushenga, Kenneth Wabuteya, Martha Nayebare and Sharon Kobusinge during the Art of War Book review. Photo by Ramadhan Abbey

 

THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu was the book being reviewed. The thirteen chapters that make up this book contain a compilation of generations of Chinese theories and teachings on military strategy. It presents the basic principles of warfare and gives the military leaders advice on when and how to fight.

For example, one tells commanders how to move armies through inhospitable terrain while another explains how to use and respond to  different types of weapons but they also give general advise about conflicts and their resolution.

Napoleon and General Douglas Mac Arthur claimed the book to be a source of inspiration. Although the book talks about warfare, it has profound insights about behavioral change.

The book provides basic principles to business people such as; capturing the market without destroying it, avoiding competitor's strength and attacking their weaknesses, using fore knowledge and deception to maximize the power of business intelligence, using speed and preparation to swiftly overcome competition and developing ones character as a leader to maximize the potential of their employer.

"The reason why the river moves long distance is because it avoids hard places and hits the soft ground. To be successful, we should avoid wars with people around us." Kabushenga said.

The guest speaker Kenneth Wabuteya a marketer said that the book is a very interesting one because it throws insights about the kind of life we ought to live today.

"As one reads the book he discovers that it portrays a lot of virtues that we can adopt and make our lives much better. We all have dreams of becoming someone in future and our dreams are sometimes shuttered by our life styles and the people we associate with. When you have a vision always act as if you are already there and you will have your dream fulfilled." he said.

outh during he rt of ar book review at airway otel hoto by amadhan bbey Youth during The Art of War book review at Fairway Hotel. Photo by Ramadhan Abbey

 

 

Adding that; people who read different books have knowledge about the different aspects of life and will always find quick solutions to problems affecting them.

During his presentation Moses Mwebaza, member of the club said that the book teaches people to actively follow the path of their dreams rather than wishing for good things to happen to them. And doing the unexpected and living a humble life leads to success.

Wabuteya argued that the reading culture in Uganda is a serious problem that must be addressed if Uganda is to become a middle income country.

"The youth make the majority of the population in Uganda but they lack knowledge about issues. Most answers about life challenges are obtained through reading and I am optimistic that reading groups like this one and members in those groups sharing their testimonies will have an impact on the youth." He said.

Ester pointed out that from the discussion she learnt that everyone is ought to know their strong holds, be flexible and discover a unique ability within oneself which helps in becoming a better person.

Kabushenga climaxed the show by calling upon the interested parties to join them every Wednesday evening form 6pm-9pm at fair way hotel as the group relates written works to their personal experiences and learn more about life in general.

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