By Victor Ochieng’
vochieng.90@gmail.com
Some time back, we drove to Kabianga University School of Medicine to inspire varsity students. Bishop Elisha Odero, Gilax Ngoya, and I went there at night to teach and preach about the love of God. We met the close-knit community of Christians in that microcosm of the world of academia. Bishop was the keynote speaker while Ngoya and I were just armour bearers.
On our way back to the lush land of Gusii, we had a candid conversation. Bishop Odero studied English language and literature in Moi University in the tail-end of 80s and the cusp of 90s, so he decided to narrate to us what happened in the academia world during those good old days.
As it is said that if you want to know the road, you should ask those coming back, Gilax and I listened aptly only weighing in once in a while.
The bishop gave us a first-hand account of what happened in the universities before some of them lost lustre and became pale shadows of their former selves.
Great intellectuals convened meeting of minds in the universities, done in form of public lectures and debates, which acted as the icing on the cake of what varsity students learnt in the formal lecture rooms. Once in a while, eye-opening public lectures were delivered with might and main by hale and hearty clerics like Rev. Kipsang’ Muge, Bishop David Gitari, Bishop Henry Okullu, and Rev. Timothy Njoya among others.
In the whole scheme of things, these well-thought-out lectures awakened people’s public consciousness on pertinent matters like divinity, civility, unity, cohesion, religion and governance.
The germane of these public presentations, were the heated debates attended by the sages and scholars of great weight like Ali Mazrui, B. A. Ogot, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and W.R. Ochieng’ among others.
These debates were intense and interesting in nature because they were perfect epitomes of battle of wits, titanic tussles of the best brains and didactic duels. The discussants oozed with a lot of wisdom.
Those who attended such discussions had the privilege and pleasure of learning the lustre of language, literature, orature and culture. Their ribs were also cracked by the hilarious signatures of some of these intellectuals.
Most of these professors that stole the show were great writers and orators, who articulated themselves with fine forms of flair and flamboyance. Grace and elegance spiced their words of wisdom to a great extent. They employed various features of style as they spoke in the hallowed halls filled to the brim by students.
Literary styles like satire, sarcasm, symbolism, synecdoche, analogy, allusion, irony and humour spiced their impeccable presentations. Satire and humour made them tell the truth laughingly. Through the two techniques, they also created great rapport with the audience.
We need a comeback of such marvellous moments. Universities and colleges should host such useful discussions. More public lectures and heated debates revolving around important topics should be frequent like copious cups of coffee in these corridors of knowledge. With this tremendous trend, fountains of knowledge will churn out graduates that wield wonderful confidence, competencies and correct communication skills.
The writer is an orator, author and trainer.
