Reading and writing; a precursor for societal development

To many in Uganda, Reading and writing books is in most cases a call summoned by the need to pass exams or interviews. When these stages are passed, reading and writing is found not to be popular. For the few that read and write books, do so discretely with limited sharing of their life changing discoveries.

It is these unfortunate perceptions of dealing with literacy, that inspired the old tale in Africa; If you want to hide anything to an African, put it in book, said Frank Kabuhenga the host of the Read-Write Club program that takes place at Fairway Hotel Kampala every Wednesday starting at 6:00p.m. Kabushenga added that, "Undoing that long standing perception of reading and writing is what motivated the Read-Write Clubs initiative that seeks to champion a good and steady reading and writing culture in Uganda and Africa at large".

Current statistics indicate 14,689,469 persons or 73.87% of adult population (aged 15 years and above) in Uganda are able to read and write. Kabushenga observed that much as the statistics paint a rosy picture of literacy, the club is up to promote broad and purposeful reading and writing with a view of societal positive transformation. At the club various books are read and reviews are made by members interactively. In a recent Read-Write club session, THE ART OF WAR by TSUN TZU is the book that was read and discussed.

The session was also recorded for broadcast purposes.Starting off the show, the host said that, "This club is a centre of acquisition of wisdom and intellectual sharpening through the read and 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 reading, writing and publishing their work which is a precursor for development.

Through this, we shall bring to an end the poor reading and writing culture in our country" It was a moment of interaction amongst the group members as they discussed 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.

THE ART OF WAR contains 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 acclaimed the book to be a source of inspiration. Although the book talks about warfare, it has profound insights about behavioral change.

During the Club members' discussion, it was discovered that 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 guest speaker Kenneth Wabuteya a marketer said that, "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 successful 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. 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, a member of the club said that the book teaches people to actively follow the path of their dreams rather than simply wishing for good things to happen to them. And doing the unexpected and living a humble life as opposed to arrogance when one attains 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.

Kabushenga climaxed the show by calling upon the interested parties to join the club every Wednesday evening from 6pm-9pm at Fairway Hotel as the group relates written works to their personal experiences and learn more about life in general.