Shiraz Durrani book launch - Never Be Silent
London Metropolitan University senior lecturer in information
management, Shiraz Durrani, has launched his latest book Never Be
Silent - Publishing and Imperialism in Kenya 1884-1963.
Shiraz, a Kenyan exile and former librarian at the University of
Nairobi, unveiled Never Be Silent at London Met's Graduate Centre on
November 22 at an event chaired by Professor Piyo Rattansi, Emeritus
Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science at University
College London.
The launch was also attended by fellow author, Amrit Wilson, who
presented his own work on the life and achievements of Abdul Rehman
Babu, a Zanzibari revolutionary who devoted his life to the cause of
African liberation.
Never Be Silent, which takes a Kenyan view of Kenya's independence and
provides a valuable insight into the past, examines how publishing in
Kenya during the colonial era contributed to, and in some cases, took
away from, the never silent struggle of Kenyans.
According to Shiraz, the writing of his book was an act of political
activism during the 1980s in Kenya, when there were few democratic
avenues for political activists.
'My book has resulted from a need to understand and redefine the social
role of librarians in Kenya, and it is also a reinterpretation of the
history of Kenya from the people's point of view,' Shiraz said.
'The history of publishing in Kenya, as an important aspect of social
communications, provides a prism for seeing and understanding the
reality of social and political struggles in Kenya.'
During the book launch, Shiraz spoke on the theme 'communications for
liberation' and looked at the need for alternative news and views to be
made available in a post-9/11 world.
The event ended with a lively discussion focusing on issues of African
history and liberation in the context of the changing global situation
with the rise of China and India.
Never Be Silent - Publishing and Imperialism in Kenya 1884-1963 was launched in Kenya in July 2006.
