Saturday mornings are quickly becoming the time for book lovers all around to congregate in their respective book clubs to read and discuss great books. AIFA Book Club is one of such book clubs that provides a platform for amazing book discussions.
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, Patrick Koshoni, hosted members, and friends of AIFA Reading Society to a book club session at MILIKI, Victoria Island, Lagos, on chapter fifteen and sixteen of the book, ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind’ by Yuval Noah Harari. This refreshing book session having various professionals in attendance.
Introducing the book, Mr. Patrick Koshoni, Director, AIFA Reading Society and Founder, MILIKI, also stated his reasons for selecting the book. Prior to the discussion, Dayo O., a participant, summarised the entire book. He recalled how he encountered the book many years ago, and the lasting impression the book had left on him. He further shared some personal experiences to highlight how the different ideologies in the book still held true till today. Another participant, Victor J., also talked about the similarities between some of the historical references pointed out in the book, and how it mirrors the reality of present times.
Subsequently, other participants shared salient points they had picked up whilst reading the chapters and unsurprisingly, this led to a deeper and positively charged discussion on capitalism and the effects of money on humanity. The Club pondered on if social capitalism was indeed the most suitable system in present times. There were further discussions about the stark differences between the developed nations and the third world countries.
The ambience, constant refreshments coupled with enthusiastic participants ensured that the Book Club session was enjoyed by all. Arguably, one of the best elements of the book club session was the light-hearted banter shared by the participants. Each question asked by the participants involved deep reflection and measured answers which were further discussed at length by all in attendance.
The end of the book club session was marked with a group photograph to ensure that all in attendance had a memento to remember the experience. Participants also stayed back to further discuss the book and the ideologies raised long after the session had ended.
“This was my second time attending the AIFA book club sessions, and it was my first time participating physically. Yet, I felt as if I had known many of the members all my life. There was a healthy distribution of age/generation within the group, and both the more experienced minds and the younger people shared views which helped the discussion to achieve a holistic knowledge and perspective of the world. As I drove back home after the meeting, I felt that an extra layer of wisdom had been appended to my mind, and I am grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to learn.”
Feedback from one of our participants Victor J.
