This year's Author's Day at the Aga Khan University was special as it coincided with the University's 40th anniversary year of celebration. The theme across the campuses was '40 Years of Excellence in Knowledge' to celebrate the impact of AKU authors and writers.
“It is remarkable to note that this year's event was part of the AKU@40 celebrations," said Prof Peter Gatiti, Associate Vice Provost and University Librarian. “It's also notable that undergraduate students from some of AKU's camp
The AKU Kenya Library donated books to five Kenyan universities
uses participated in the global event for the first time, bringing excitement and new opportunities for them."
Across AKU campuses in East Africa, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, there were different activities to celebrate the day including book swaps, student presentations and keynote lectures.
The global anchor event was held in Karachi with a panel discussion on 'The Art of Storytelling: Crossing Boundaries, Connecting People'. Two authors, Bina Shah and Dr Peter Kimani, Professor of Practice at AKU's Graduate School of Media and Communications shared their authorship journey. There was also a book fair with publishers from across Pakistan displaying a wide range of books.
Similarly in Nairobi, a panel discussion was held with keynote speaker Jeff Koinange, a seasoned and award-winning journalist. It was a two-day celebration with the launch of a student Book Club on November 2. Undergraduate medicine and nursing students showcased their skills through spoken word presentations. Books were also donated to five Kenyan university libraries including Zetech University, Mama Ngina University College, Turkana University College, KMTC Teso and National Museums of Kenya, Lamu.
The panel discussions also took place in Kampala and Dar es Salaam with Dr Joseph Mwizerwa, Associate Vice Provost, Uganda and Professor Daniel Brockington, University of Barcelona as keynote speakers respectively.
Prof Gatiti also noted, “AKU's research efforts have not only been recognized through traditional metrics like citations but have also had a significant societal impact by influencing policies and guidelines. The presence of remarkable keynote speakers, award-winning journalists, and renowned scholars undoubtedly added prestige to the event."
Twenty-five AKU authors from Kenya who had published more than seven articles between January 2022 and September 2023 were awarded, while in Tanzania and Uganda, six authors were awarded for having authored more than five publications in the same period. This was to recognize and celebrate their efforts in research and creating new knowledge. All these publications are discoverable on the Institutional repository, eCommons which currently has a total of 22,144 scholarly publications with over 2.9 million downloads.
In London, Luay Abdul-Ilah Mohammed, an Iraqi writer, translator, journalist and essayist, discussed his new book Jathibiyyat Al-Sifr (Weightlessness). He read excerpt from his book and talked about what inspired him to write the book, as well as his experiences writing on the human condition from an Arab perspective.
Institutions within the Aga Khan Centre: the Institute for Muslim Civilizations, the Institute for Ismaili Studies and the Aga Khan Foundation also participated in a book swap.
This is the third edition of the celebrations and is organised by the Office of the University Librarian.
