This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
What They're Reading ¶
Published on July 18, 2020
As the Covid-19 pandemic forces us to slow down, many of us are finding solace in books. We spoke to Chief Administrative Secretary of Education Mumina Bonaya and freelance writer Oyesa Oluchina about the books that are keeping them busy.
Mumina Bonaya ¶
Mumina Bonaya, Chief Administrative Secretary of Education, credits her six-year-old daughter with getting her to read. A colleague recommended 'What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning', which has empowered her to prepare her child for a lifetime of learning.
She is also a fan of Paulo Coelho, saying she gets engrossed every time she reads one of his titles. Bonaya believes that books help her navigate her role in the Ministry of Education, and she has spent the past few months reading about education goals, policies, and systems across the world.
She credits 'The River Between' by Ngugi wa Thiong'o with helping her understand the pull between cultural beliefs, a new religion, civilization, and the marginalization of girls and women. Bonaya plans to reread 'The River and the Source' by Margaret Ogola, which she adores.
She believes that the lockdown has helped shift priorities and create a new culture of reading, and she thinks it's not just a form of escapism. Bonaya appeals to parents to cultivate a reading culture together with their children.
Oyesa Oluchina ¶
Oyesa Oluchina, a freelance writer, is currently reading 'It's Our Turn to Eat' by Michela Wrong. He enjoys reading stories and connecting with the story together with the questions that arise with it.
Oluchina believes that books have power, and he credits 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy with changing him. He discovered the book through a review on the internet, and he loved it. He thinks that technology will be part of literature consumption, but he believes that there's still a place for oral and written literature.
