Three libraries. Two friends. One Mission: Shiro and Wachuka set off on an obstacle course to re-establish three county libraries as modern spaces for cultural engagement.

In 2017, Shiro Koinange and Angela Wachuka embarked on a mission to revitalise three Nairobi county libraries. They include the McMillan Library, previously a whites-only space. Over the next five years, two of the libraries become digitised multi-purpose spaces. The McMillan remains stuck in time, but not irrelevant: its collection a record of a violent colonial past and a topic for cross-generational conversations. Facing numerous challenges, the project team tangoes deftly with unyielding librarians and charismatic politicians in order to deliver the third Library. Maia Lekow and Christopher King’s fascinating film immerses us the creating of a public space where everyone is welcome, ideas are encouraged, memories are shared and history is as on trend as the future.

Director Christopher King, Maia Lekow
Year 2025
Duration 1h 40m
Language English, Swahili