Thoughts Of A Nima Boy: Success Book Club Celebrates Seven Years Of Impactful Reading Experience

In his 2004 Democratic Convention Keynote speech, then senator Obama made a profound statement about the need for communities to complement government’s efforts in eradicating illiteracy. He stated “go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.” Profound! What is note-worthy for me is that he said this in a country where government’s effort in educating its young ones is much more profound and pronounced than in Ghana.

Perhaps our founding fathers saw this anomaly when they were giving the new country shape and form. They saw how critical literacy is in the development of a nation. When Nkrumah declared Ghana a Republic on 1^st July 1960, he delivered a speech that should be read by every Ghanaian in our schools if our nation was a serious one. But the speech has been left on the shelves of our history. In that speech, he stated "we must fight; relentlessly to uproot backward conceptions and negative phenomena in order to eliminate waste, extravagance, bureaucracy, laziness and similar manifestations harmful to our community. We must eliminate illiteracy completely from our midst.” Poignant!

This is why I always speak highly of a group of young people in a typical inner-city (Nima) who came together to form a book club to give the youth a platform to develop themselves a monumental impact in their lives, communities, and the world at large. They formed the organization in 2015 and on Saturday July 16^th, 2022, they had their seventh anniversary gathering at the Nima-Maamobi community library. Before I summarize what transpired that day, I want to tell you more about the book club.

The club every month gets its members to deliberate on what book to read, and a decision is arrived at. The book with many votes gets selected as book of the month. At the end of each month, whatever book that was read is discussed. In some months, members read poetry as it is also an immense form of literature and a good source of deepening one’s thinking capabilities that drive towards action. The dynamism of Success Book Club is that it has been able to churn out young people who are doing wonderfully great in their chosen fields of endeavor.

In seven years, the book club has expanded to almost 300 members which is highly commendable considering the low literacy rate among the youth in Ghana. With books, they have been able to wage war against ignorance, and conquered and are thirsty for more. The struggle to bring like-minded people together to achieve a common goal has seen the light of the day. One does not need a hard copy of a book to read now. The world has evolved now. Books are available in a wide range. Audiobooks, podcasts, e-books, and more are at our disposal, and one needs to choose what best suits him or her to keep the mind updated.

So, the gathering on Saturday had as its theme “Seven Years of Impactful Reading Experience”. The programme was chaired by Muniru Kassim, Esq, a senior partner at Obour, Minta and Co, an Accra based-law firm which specializes in criminal law. Himself, an avid reader and one-time Editor-in-chief of Daily Guide, a private newspaper, he expressed his interest in joining the monthly discussions of the book club because he believes reading is the way to the future. There were other well-meaning members of the society who graced the occasion and offered their solidarity speeches in support of reading and issues germane to it. Mr. Rahman Osman (a senior sales executive and the Foton Brand Manager at Japan Motors), Hussein Hassan (a Sports marketing Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies and a Senior sports journalist) and Mr. Rahuf Mustapha Kushtain, Ghana's finest student's motivator, Youth Activational Motivational Speaker, Author, Peace Advocate, and a member of Ghana Association of Writers. One of the aims of the organization is to empower women so three women were also part of the resources persons who delivered messages on that day. Two of these women are members of the book club.

The summary of all the speeches and discussions that day is that reading should not be limited to traditional books. We can listen to audiobooks, read eBooks, and still absorb knowledge. Reading improves our communication skills. With reading we can express ourselves and hold intelligent conversations. People should identify what their interests are when making a choice of what to read. That way we can fully enjoy the art of reading. For one to be able to develop a good reading habit one must first make a conscious intention to start reading.

It is also important to develop a reading plan and set a reading goal. For instance, you can start by reading just a page every day, a line a day or a book a year. There must be a plan that will aid one to still make time for reading regardless of busy schedules to be able to track reading progress. Start by reading about topics that are of interest to you. That way you will enjoy what you read as you develop to read about other things. Do not just read because everyone is reading, make sure to read because you love to and because it is of benefit to you. Thus, understand the relevance of reading to your life and make what you read shape and have an impact on your life.

Read in a suitable environment devoid of distractions. Sometimes you can visit the library to avoid being distracted while reading. That way you get to focus on what you are reading. Reading right adds value to human life. It helps establish interpersonal and organizational communication. Reading is believed to alleviate ignorance and poverty. As said, a community that does not read dies. Reading helps revive the world. It is through reading that a lot of problems see solutions and development comes through to make life better.

The Executive Director of Success Book Club, Adam Mohammed Miftaahu, charged members to put into practice the ideas and wisdom they come across in reading. He also reiterated to members the importance of volunteering — to serve the club — which is the backbone of our existence. And he finally reminded them of their stakeholdership as members. “Success Book Club belongs to each reader. Every member is a key stakeholder; hence, their activeness online and offline keeps the club alive.” There were poetry recitals which entertained members present at the gathering.

We can confidently say that Success Book Club has come to stay. And we shall, with the help of God, abort ignorance, while we give birth to more voracious readers who, in turn, would become positive change-makers in society impacting generations, and standing highly as responsible citizens.

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NB: This piece is a collaborative effort from members of Success Book Club