In 2017, two intrepid young women, Wanjiru Koinange and Angela Wachuka decide to transform a dusty old relic of British colonial oppression: The McMillan Memorial Library in Nairobi, Kenia. For the first 26 years of its existence, Black people were not even allowed to enter it. Can a place like this be turned into a vibrant space for Nairobi’s modern-day community? Over eight years, directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King chronicle the struggles the two activists face on this extraordinary journey of remodeling, reclaiming, and decolonizing. „How to Build a Library“ is a powerful reflection on libraries as archives of painful pasts and their potential as sites for community representation and social change.
The film is shown in its original version (English and Kiswahili) with English subtitles.
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About Wanjiru Koinange
Wanjiru Koinange is an award-winning writer, library restorer, and entrepreneur from Nairobi, Kenya. Her debut novel, The Havoc of Choice, was published in the UK (2019) and Kenya (2020), where it became a national bestseller. Wanjiru’s writing has appeared in numerous journals and magazines. In 2015, she published a piece about Kenya’s second-oldest library, McMillan Memorial Library. This story went on to spark something much bigger. That spark became Book Bunk, the independent non-profit she co-founded to restore and manage Nairobi’s historic public libraries. The Eastlands and Kaloleni branches are now fully renovated, with library usage increasing by over 240% since Book Bunk’s interventions. Their flagship project, the McMillan Memorial Library, is currently the focus of a major fundraising effort. Wanjiru’s work is rooted in the belief that art can be a powerful catalyst for social change.
About Marianne Wamuyu
Marianne Wamuyu is the Programmes and Events Director at Book Bunk Trust, with over six years of experience designing and delivering community-centered library programmes. Marianne has played a key role in curating impactful initiatives that respond to the needs of library communities. Under her leadership, Book Bunk received the EIFL Public Library Innovation Award for the Play Bunk programme. She oversees flagship events such as NBO Litfest and A Night at the Library, as well as ongoing library programmes including Dance Bunk, Music Bunk, and Art Bunk. Her work also includes coordinating library clinics that provide legal, digital, mental health, and civic services. She is deeply passionate about community empowerment and is committed to creating inclusive, participatory, and meaningful experiences that strengthen libraries as vibrant public spaces.
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For further questions, contact: maria.frenay@univie.ac.at