Kevin Mokento’s Lighthouse
Titus Mbuya | Sunday July 9, 2023 06:00
That is a tall order by any stretch of the imagination.
I must confess, it is the longest and most unforgettable sentence that I have ever read in my entire life. I am highlighting this anecdote about my interaction with the book not to scare the reader but to showcase the eloquence and writing prowess of this author. The Lighthouse is More’s maiden work in the non-fiction genre.
He is the author of The Power Chase, a literary work printed in 2020 by Kadimah Print Global.
The Lighthouse is a compendium of selected essays by More, who used to write a regular column in the local weekly newspaper, Mmegi. In The Lighthouse, More traverses a variety of subjects ranging from socio-economic, business, and current affairs, to science and technology.
The topics cover the workspace, health, divorce, emotional intelligence, the rule of law, the built environment, etc. While the writer comments on some of the topical international affairs that occupied the minds of many over the last three or so years, he pivots on national issues, and most importantly, he is not shy to proffer practical counsel on interpersonal relationships.
In the era of the all-pervasive ubiquitous social media, the debate has degenerated into debased banter, what More appropriately calls “latrine-lips culture”. Instead of engaging with each other on substance the “twitteratis” and “Facebookers” [Twitter and Facebook enthusiasts respectively] resort to invective and obscenity to silence others.
During the Donald Trump years in the USA, right wing conservatives called such intolerance the “cancel culture”, something which Trump himself was guilty of. Unfortunately, the insults, epithets, and intolerance that are a dominant feature of social media have found their way into legacy media, print and electronic alike.
I followed More’s column since Mmegi started publishing it in 2019. For me, the column filled an important gap in our national discourse. It was pithy but not controversial. More follows in the footsteps of giants like Patrick van Rensburg, Michael Dingake, Sandy Grant, Douglas Tsiako, etc, who have graced the opinion-editorial pages of Mmegi as regular columnists before. Editors expect columnists to be disruptive and to provoke debate. While his predecessors relished in holding the feet of the powerful to the fire, More is more of a social commentator and avoids engaging in political and ideological arguments, which are by their very nature polarising.
What is refreshing about More’s essays is that even when he comments on current affairs, he is balanced and avoids being partisan. Even with respect to issues that ordinarily evoke emotions, he is able to navigate them in a manner that he still emerges as being objective and not biased. Of course, even as he does that, he puts his best foot forward and makes his point as forcefully as he can, albeit in a respectful and the most civil way possible. In this book, More displays clarity of mind, familiarity with subject matter and purposefulness as well as commitment to contributing to the betterment of society.
The Lighthouse places into sharp relief the contribution of public intellectuals to the national debate. From its inception, Mmegi has always been a newspaper of opinion. It has always provided a platform for intellectuals to engage in debate and analysis, as well as make sense of issues of the day. Public intellectuals commend, condemn, and commiserate whenever it is necessary to do so. They speak truth to power. They criticise without being cynical. But most importantly, they offer alternatives and solutions to problems that may seem intractable. It cannot be gainsaid that their contribution, collectively, and that of other thought leaders, go a long way in influencing the design and formulation of national public policy.
I am astounded by More’s ability to switch from fiction to non-fiction so seamlessly. What stood out for me in his first book, The Power Chase, was the apparent ease with which he weaves into the plot business principles and other disciplines to enrich his storyline. Perhaps the one thread that runs through his work of fiction and The Lighthouse is the cadence of his prose. His flair, which manifests itself through the diction, phraseology, and the occasional verbosity that he deploys throughout the book should appeal to all demographics irrespective of class or gender.
More, the wordsmith, combines various styles of writing to produce his own original idiom. It is his own style which is inimitable. And he harnesses it effectively to communicate ideas. Consider this. As he concludes Chapter 37 entitled “Unbought and Unbossed” More says: “Unreservedly unbought and unbossed, let’s make it our life’s mission to eschew iniquity and tenaciously maintain ethical stability, while conscientiously treading the tightrope of integrity”. Well said. The book is resplendent with such nuggets of wisdom. He has dedicated a section towards the end of the book to some of the “quotable quotes” from the essays. There is a lot of insight and discernment that one can glean by just going straight to the section even before they read the whole book.
I was fascinated by the analogy of the bird couple which he uses to underscore the sanctity of the vow normally made by marriage partners, “Until death do us part,” as he introduces Chapter 46 titled “The curse of divorce.” More writes: “Chasidah! That’s the Hebrew word for Stork. It means loyalty, but also carries connotations of kindness and modesty. There are close to twenty species of storks across six genres.
Our focus is on the white stork, also called Ciconia. One of the behavioural traits of this charismatic migratory avian that excites wonder and evokes envy is its non-negotiable sense of fidelity. Not only to its nest but also to its mate.” He then develops the story of this wonderful union between the two birds and goes on to show how spouses can also do the same and enjoy a happy life-long marriage.
The Lighthouse is divided into eight sections. Each section has a theme making it easy for the reader to pick and choose what subject they want to read first. Since the book comprises essays addressing various topics, the reader can choose where to start in the book without necessarily having to follow a particular sequence.
Except for a few which are two-or multi-part series most of the essays are stand-alone and independent of each other.
More has enriched the content of the essays by referencing philosophers, jurists, world leaders, scholars, etc throughout the book to buttress and give perspective to some of the arguments and propositions that he makes.
Various emotions are evoked as one goes through the essays in the The Lighthouse. Besides just being informative, the book is engaging, but also challenges the reader to reflect and dig deep into the human soul to endeavour to bring out the best in us to promote harmony and peace at all levels of human existence, be it in the family, workplace, community, or society at large.
The Lighthouse is also motivational and reaffirms the notion that even under the worst circumstances, human beings can harness their various faculties including the intellect, emotions, and creativity to succeed. It is called the triumph of the human spirit.