Developing a Postcolonial Literature Reading Circle Model for Civil Society Organisations in South East Nigeria

Reading circles devoted to postcolonial literature from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean offer civil society organisations a culturally enriching and politically engaging format for continuing education and community intellectual development, yet their systematic design for Nigerian civil society contexts has not been professionally addressed. This study developed a postcolonial literature reading circle model for civil society organisations in Anambra, Enugu, and Imo States. A model development methodology was employed, combining focus group discussions with members of 12 civil society organisations, review of reading circle models from South Africa's Book Crossing project and Kenya's Kwani? literary community, and consultations with four Comparative Literature academics and three civil society programme managers. The focus groups revealed strong interest in postcolonial literature as a vehicle for discussing contemporary political and cultural issues but limited awareness of world postcolonial literature beyond Nigerian authors. The reading circle model developed encompasses a 12-session annual reading programme, facilitation guides for each session, text selection criteria prioritising affordability and local relevance, session reporting templates for organisational learning records, and a community of practice network structure connecting circles across the three states. Both physical and WhatsApp-facilitated discussion formats are included. Expert review by six Comparative Literature scholars and three civil society practitioners confirmed the model's conceptual grounding and practical usability. The study recommends the model be piloted by three civil society organisations in each state under the joint coordination of the Anambra and Enugu State Ministries of Culture.

Keywords: reading circle, postcolonial literature, civil society, South East Nigeria, community education