A VISIT TO LENTSWE BOOK CLUB

S

o much has been said about the modern youth, and so much condemnation shall continue to be levelled at the idiosyncrasies of modern youth. That they are the lost generation; that they are rebellious renegades of societal norms; that they care least about education and disregard their own future; that they are, if anything, victims of their juvenile delinquency instinct which amounts to nothing but indulgence in all social ills.

Notwithstanding the above however, my recent visit to Lentswe Book Club (LBC) was quite a unique experience. My brief was to go and share a book of my choice with that young audience in Pampierstad. And, as an avid reader that was naturally a savoury invite to accede to.

The first thing that impressed was the setting in the youth centre. A fishbowl setting that was ideal for an informal laid back Sunday afternoon conversation. Soon everyone was seated and at ease. Also, the size of the venue was adequately filled with young minds. Yet, one could sense the mood of subdued anticipation about what was on the cards.

Second, one noticed that there was a clear sense of good practice and planning for such events. I was accordingly directed to a particular spot to take my position. And soon two young leaders introduced themselves to the house as the co-pilots of the proceedings. They were a gender a piece. Equally, the presenters of the day were two: one from Mars and one from Venus respectively. The mood was jovial and one could tell that these folks were in their backyard by the way they were exchanging their utterances tactfully without losing focus of the ball.

The book that I had chosen to share with the group was Power 2 Perform by Dr Tibane. That was one of the numerous docs I had posted on my blog. While I was presenting I could observe that everybody was very attending while some were taking notes at intervals. I couldn’t wait to see how the group was going to respond to the discourse afterwards.

How the young minds responded and interacted with the book was admirable. The same way that a pack of hungry hyenas would attack and disembowel a wounded gazelle, they tore the text to pieces unreservedly. They were fearless, bold and very articulate with their views. Some pulled it to the east; some pulled it to the west. And some reserved their views for later after reading the book itself. The debate ranged from the book being too biased because of its Christian orientation, to it being too simplistic to address the real bread and butter issues affecting the poor masses.

The debate reached the pinnacle when the anchor of the group tactfully steered the discussion to the opening tenet that posited that one must know one’s purpose in life, and that one’s purpose in life takes precedence over oneself. When the group was challenged directly as to why they were born that proved to be a real gauntlet for everyone. They couldn’t agree to a single view. The view that one’s purpose in life is more important than oneself did not only raise a stern brow in the house, but called for a new conscientious reflection.

On hindsight, however one could posit that one’s purpose in life and one’s career choice are inextricably linked. And finding your true purpose in life encapsulates the following variables:

1)   We are all born for a purpose, regardless of our belief system

2)  One’s true purpose is not offered on a silver platter, you must toil to ferret it out

3)  One’s purpose in life is linked to one’s talent through which you are able to serve other fellow human beings

4)  Fulfilling your purpose in life should enable you to make a decent living

5)  Living your purpose should assure the individual of a deeper sense of inner peace and personal fulfilment.

Imagine the best chef, the best artist or the best athlete in the world. They excel at what they do because they have discovered their respective talents. But, not only that. They have invested time and resources in harnessing their talents. And most importantly, they are passionate about their works because it is fulfilling to them while at the same time they can see how what they love doing adds value to other fellow human beings’ lives.

This might be a relatively new Book Club but who said milk teeth do not bite as hard and sharp?; and who said the finest scholars and opinion makers didn’t start from humble nurseries like this?

One of the significance of book clubs is that these are organisations that have made the consumption of literature their core business. A conscientious plunge in a cultural sea that shapes human civilization. They don’t only smell and taste books. They also digest and swallow those texts that matter. Is there a better way of reclaiming the reader’s rightful position in modern literary discourse?; isn’t it book clubs like Lentswe that could be instrumental in making every book a dynamic source of human engagement and appraisal, while the author (in the process) becomes not an automatic authority, but a side kick creator of the work of art?

In the absence of book clubs and literary analysts, there is a danger that writers and other creators of works of art might gain an automatic and untested acclaim in the expression of human perception and experience. If left unchecked and unchallenged writers shall continue to reign supreme as sole creators and sole custodians and authority of their creation. And if that persists as a status quo, then literature as a phenomenon might lose its essence as a work of art. A work of art once created and circulated leaves the creator behind to find expression in the universe, independent of the creator.

Every time a reader conscientiously takes a book and every time he interacts and interrogates its circumstantial discourse, it is an instance of textual rebirth. The reader becomes the creator who breathes life into the text that only then becomes alive with a myriad of possibilities.

Therefore every time a book club invites a speaker, it is an instance of accountability. The reader making the writer to account for their...

By Segomelo I.K.