How to Build a Library
Back to listSynopsis
Shiro and Wachuka attempt to convert a derelict, trash-filled library in the heart of Nairobi into a vibrant hub of culture and creativity for the city’s inhabitants. The building in question, the historical McMillan Memorial Library, built in 1931 by British colonizers, was exclusively reserved for white people until 1958. The two women, determined and dedicated to their cause, took on the ambitious project of the renovation works in 2017. However, as they go through the archive material, conflicted emotions arise within them - anger and appreciation in equal measure - as they grapple with the dilemma of which elements of Kenya’s colonial heritage are worth preserving and which should be left to obscurity. By capturing the complicated process of the library’s restoration, the bureaucratic hurdles, and the precariousness of the project in the face of political change, the filmmakers, Maia Lekow and Christopher King, simultaneously manage to explore another pivotal question; when are compromises justified in the wider debate on acknowledging and offering restitution for colonial heritage?
Screenings
Thursday 13.3.2025
Stavros Tornes
Friday 14.3.2025
Stavros Tornes
Cast and crew
Maia Lekow, Christopher King
2019 The Letter (co-direction)
2025 How to Build a Library (co-direction)
2019 The Letter (co-direction)
2025 How to Build a Library (co-direction)
Online screenings: -