A Clinical Assessment of Miguna’s Book Launch

A Clinical Assessment of Miguna’s Book Launch

By Onyango Oloo in Nairobi

I must say upfront that since I am Miguna’s comrade; since I  was one of the first people to review to the book-after reading it from cover to cover- and since I was the actual master of ceremony at the book launch whatever  I say should taken with the above in context.

It is precisely for this reason that I will confine myself to facts and figures.

1.0. Planning Process

First of all, if Miguna had not sat down and written the book (in a few short months) there would have been nothing to launch. So the author has to take the major credit.

Secondly, if a publisher had not accepted to bring out the book, Miguna would be having a very big manuscript in his cabinet and hard drive. Giglamesh Publishing in the  UK did a superb professional job in not only polishing up the manuscript, arranging for the printing, but more importantly bottom-lining the  logistics for the actual book launch. A few months ago I attended a book launch in a parked hall at the University of Nairobi featuring a publication by one of my former lecturers and guess what? There was not A SINGLE BOOK ON SITE FOR SALE. To say that waiting throngs were disappointed is a big understatement.  This was not the case with Peeling Back the Mask, as detailed below.

Thirdly, those of us who were part of the team planning the book launch set ourselves very clear objectives which doubled as our indicators of success:

1.1. Objectives of the  Book Launch:
(a)    Have at least 300 people attend the launch;(b)   Sell at least 200 copies of the book at the launch;(c)    Organize an interesting, engaging and entertaining event;(d)   Get adequate and positive coverage in the print, electronic and social media;(e)   Have an impact in public and national political discourse;

2.0. Outcomes:

Using the above yardsticks one can gauge whether the book launch was successful or not:

(i)                  Attendance:  The room capacity of the hall provided to us at the Hotel Inter Continental is 500. We counted more than 550 people. Those who attended the event will attest to the fact that people were standing at the back because of lack of seats.

(ii)                Book Sales: One single individual bought 2000 copies in bulk on the launch date; 1,000 copies were sold at the launch site on the same day; book sellers gobbled up another 2,000 copies which were sold out by Sunday July 15, 2012; at one particular shop-Book Stop- eager readers were queuing as early as 6 am; By week ending July 22^ndprojected sales will hit 10,000 copies. Each book retails for at between 3,300 and 3,400 Kenya Shillings. Do the math.

(iii)               Event Programme: We kept it simple and flowing. The Canadian High Commissioner to  Kenya, H.E. David Collins, gave a short but warm address hailing the ties between the two countries and underscoring Canada’s role in supporting the democratization process in Kenya by among other things providing protection to exiles like Miguna Miguna, Adongo Ogony, Onyango Oloo and others, not forgetting supporting the constitutional review process.

A native of  Ghana,  Retired Judge, Hon.  Justice Edward Torgbor,( LLB, LLM, Dip Int Law)whose brilliant professional career includes teaching at the University of Nairobi in International Commercial Arbitration and currently Associate Professor of Mercantile Law at the  University of Stellenbosch in South Africa gave very insightful remarks on the themes of justice and writing. 

The socially conscious and political astute troupe of thePeople’s  Puppeteers put on a 13 minute skit using their puppets called  In Search of  Justice which received a thunderous standing ovation. 

The Principal Guest, Hon. Paul Muite, spoke with courage and encouragement about the main thrust of Miguna’s political memoir.  

Onyango  Oloo, the MC for the event, in introducing Miguna Miguna to the podium, drew the connection between the repressive days of the  KANU one party dictatorship which had  hundreds imprisoned for sedition and the achievements of Kenyans through struggle of a new constitution which guarantees rights  freedom of speech and expression and the overall enabling democratic environment which nourished the possibility of a book like  Peeling Back the Mask seeing light of day and its author speaking in public at a five star hotel without being arrested by the secret police.  

Miguna Miguna’s remarks have received massive media coverage so I need not repeat them here.

(iv)              Media Coverage: Miguna Miguna DOMINATED the Kenyan media in the week culminating in the book launch. Even today, two days after the event, he is still on the front page headlines. He has been covered by the Daily Nation, the best selling newspaper in East and Central Africa as well as its other affiliates on radio and television-not forgetting their sister Kiswahili publications Taifa Leo andTaifa Jumapili.  The Standard, the Star and the People were not  left far behind. Miguna has had interviews with KTN Television and Citizen Television.  Social media and blogosphere has been abuzz with thread after thread after thread being launched on Jukwaa, one of the leading Kenyan online political discussion forums; Facebook is still sizzling and Twitter is twitching with tweets about Miguna. The coverage, has on the whole been very positive even though there are battalions of Miguna detractors in many corners of cyberspace.

(v)                Impact on Public and National Political Discourse: There have been editorials,  op-eds, cartoons, interviews and commentaries in the media; civil society activists have waved copies of his book in press conferences; politicians of various hues have referenced him in mass rallies; there have been threats to sue him and calls for his arrest. In ODM an entire committee has been set up to rebut the claims he makes in Peeling Back the Mask.

3.0. Verdict:

Based on the above objectives and outcomes, was the launch of Miguna’s Peeling Back the Mask a massive success or dismal flop?

You be the judge.

Onyango Oloo

Nairobi, Kenya

Monday, July 16, 2012