Nairobi’s librairies
In the heart of Nairobi, two visionary women are turning dusty, forgotten archives into vibrant sanctuaries of imagination. The new documentary “How to Build a Library” follows Wanjiru Koinange and Angela Wachuka as they battle bureaucracy and crumbling infrastructure to revive Kenya’s public reading spaces. Focusing on the grand but decaying McMillan Memorial Library, the film explores the radical act of reclaiming colonial buildings for the local community. It is a beautifully textured story of “revolutionary maintenance,” where repainting walls and reorganizing African knowledge become a profound exercise in citizenship. Engaging and deeply moving, this film reminds us that libraries are not just about books—they are the democratic pillars of a future worth writing.
The Conversation