In 1931, the first library in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi,
opened its doors — to white patrons only.
Nearly a century later, Kenyans dressed in the slinky gowns,
flapper headpieces and tweed suits of that era streamed into the
now-dilapidated space in a celebration that was part fundraiser for the remodel
of the iconic building, part reclamation of the city’s public libraries as
“palaces for the people”.
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“Our public libraries can be glamorous spaces of storytelling,”
said Angela Wachuka, a Kenyan publisher. But, she added, “We are here to also
reclaim history, to occupy its architecture and to subvert its intended use.”
The restoration of the McMillan Memorial Library and others
in the city was the brainchild of Wachuka and novelist Wanjiru Koinange, who
founded Book Bunk, a Kenyan nonprofit, in 2017 to restore and reclaim the
city’s public libraries. The aim was to leave behind their excluding past and
remake them into inclusive spaces where Kenyans can archive and share
collective memories, engage in creative and civic pursuits, and have at their
disposal the technology to gather and disseminate information.
InclusionAmong their goals is to bring more books in African
languages to the libraries, and incorporate services catering to those with
visual, physical or reading disabilities.
“The aim of Book Bunk has been to turn libraries into
palaces for the people,” Wachuka said, “a refuge where they can gather and
share ideas and dream of a better future.”
As the guests streamed into the gala, in December,
organizers urged them to think of themselves as “rebellious gate-crashers” who,
while dressed as those in the past, were about to embark on a radically
different future in which libraries are an essential public good.
Nairobi, a fast-growing city of over 4 million people, has
very few bookstores or well-funded libraries. Book Bunk’s work comes amid
heated conversations about urban design and about how corruption and colonial
systems continue to shape the way public infrastructure and spaces are designed
and who gets access to them.
“In the case of Nairobi, there’s almost an acceptance that certain social divisions should exist across social classes and different societal groups.”
“In the case of Nairobi, there’s almost an acceptance that
certain social divisions should exist across social classes and different
societal groups,” said Constant Cap, an urban planner who has collaborated with
Book Bunk.
Restoring public libraries, he said, could be an opportunity
to break those barriers and bring together people from different socioeconomic,
ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds.
For Wachuka and Koinange, the journey began a decade ago as
they searched for a venue to host an event for the Kwani? literary festival.
The two thought the McMillan library — built by Lady Lucy McMillan as a
memorial to her American husband, Sir Northrup McMillan, and later bequeathed to
the Nairobi City Council — would be an ideal venue given its centrality and
connection to the city.
But when they walked in, Wachuka said, they were surprised
to see its crumbling state: Its interior neoclassical architecture was fading,
its floors and walls were in ruinous condition and its collections were
gathering dust.
While they found another location for the event, the two
immediately began researching the history and management structure of the
McMillan library, and soon after, they left their jobs to focus full time on
its restoration.
One of their earlier discoveries was that the McMillan
library was the first of a series of other libraries built in the city. Only
two were still open: the Makadara and Kaloleni libraries, in the city’s
low-income eastern suburbs.
After forming a partnership with the Nairobi city
administration in 2018, Book Bunk first focused on restoring the two smaller
libraries, prioritizing the needs of the communities there.
The two branches have since reopened, with the Makadara
library hosting storytelling sessions, film screenings, music performances and
a literary festival. The Kaloleni branch is in a neighborhood built in the
1940s by Italian prisoners of war, and has become a hub for youngsters to do
their homework and participate in workshops that help them, for example, learn
how to make money using their creative talent.
ConnectJoyce Nyairo, a Kenyan academic and cultural analyst, said
that the restored libraries have the chance to be “great equalizers,” particularly
for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
These libraries, she said, can be places where young people
can read but also connect and collaborate with peers who share their interests
or challenge their worldviews.
“We need spaces in which we can perform our urbanity
unashamedly and feel recognized and legitimized by it,” Nyairo said. “These are
spaces we can come to, interact with, contribute to, take from and belong.”
Over the years, Book Bunk has undertaken several initiatives
to complement its vision of restoring libraries. In 2020, it began a research
project that has so far identified 1,323 public, private, institutional and
community libraries in at least 12 Kenyan counties. It has produced a podcast
about the history and design of the McMillan library. It also launched “Green
Bunk,” a project that installs solar panels, establishes community gardens and
recycles waste to make libraries carbon neutral.
A massive digitization project has preserved tens of
thousands of photographs, newspapers and government documents at the McMillan
library dating as far back as the 1800s. Book Bunk also partnered with the
Nest, a Kenyan creative collective, to curate an exhibition from English and
Kiswahili newspaper archives from the years 1963, when Kenya became
independent, 1973 and 1983.
There’s still much work to do to restore the McMillan
Memorial Library. The organization is raising $6 million to help repair the
building and maintain it for two years after it opens. McMillan is the only
building in Kenya protected by an act of Parliament, and renovation plans will
have to go through strict approval measures spearheaded by Kenya’s national
museum.
Before that, Wachuka said public hearings will be held to
ask Kenyans what design aspects they would like to see preserved or added — and
whether the library’s official name should be changed.
Nigerian novelist Lola Shoneyin, who delivered the keynote
speech at the fundraising gala, said that the work being done is for the
benefit of future generations, who will find support in the spaces they are
creating.
“The work Book Bunk is doing is not a sprint. It is not even
a marathon. It is more of a relay,” Shoneyin, who is also the organizer of the
Ake Arts and Book Festival in Lagos, said in her speech. “For them to win, we
must all be prepared to take the baton and run with it when the occasion
demands.”
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