From the World of African Literature Published in Kenya
From the World of African Literature features a dialogue between Professor Indangasi and Mr. Ikeda
On October 16, 2025, a launch event for From the World of African Literature, a book containing the dialogue between Henry Indangasi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Nairobi (UoN), and SGI President Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023), was held in Nairobi, Kenya. A Soka Gakkai delegation from Japan including Yoshiyuki Nagaoka, executive director of the Soka Gakkai Office of International Affairs, attended the event.
The dialogue between Professor Indangasi and Mr.
Ikeda was originally included with other related writings in the Japanese book Sekai
no bungaku o kataru (Dialogue on World Literature), published in
2001. From the World of African Literature has been published by the
Kenya Literature Bureau—an institution under Kenya’s Ministry of Education that
also publishes school textbooks. This marks the first time that a dialogue
between Mr. Ikeda and an African scholar has been published in Africa.
In May 2000, Professor Indangasi, then chair of
the Writers’ Association of Kenya, met Mr. Ikeda while working in Japan as a
visiting professor at Soka University through a faculty exchange program with UoN.
They engaged in wide-ranging discussions about the power of literature and the enduring
appeal of Africa’s oral literary traditions.
KLB has held in high regard Mr. Ikeda’s philosophy
and his lifelong efforts to promote a culture of humanism, and this led to the
publication of From the World
of African Literature. Alongside their dialogue exploring the rich realm
of African literature, the book also includes Mr. Ikeda’s acceptance speech on
receiving an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Nairobi as well
as other related writings.
At the launch event, Professor Miriam Maranga
Musonye, chair of the Department of Literature at UoN, delivered opening remarks.
Professor Indangasi then expressed his delight that African readers would now
be able to encounter the thoughts and values of Mr. Ikeda, whom he described as
possessing a deep understanding of “the heart of Africa.”
In his keynote address, Professor Peter Wasamba of
UoN stated that the publication of the book coauthored by his academic mentor
Professor Indangasi and Mr. Ikeda was an auspicious development for the future
of Africa.
Kenneth Jumba, publishing manager at KLB, shared his view that the dialogue invites readers to rediscover the essence of humanity through literature. KLB Managing Director Paul Kibet expressed hope that Mr. Ikeda’s philosophy would be introduced to wider audiences through future translations of the book into other languages.
In October 1960, during his first overseas journey undertaken in pursuit of global peace, Mr. Ikeda visited United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he witnessed the vibrant energy of delegates from several newly independent African states. He declared at the time, “The twenty-first century will be the century of Africa.” Sixty-five years have passed since then. The appearance of this book marks a further step in the appreciation of Mr. Ikeda’s philosophy in Africa.
