How To Build A Library

Literature lovers Shiro and Wachuka decide to quit their jobs and attempt the seemingly impossible; to decolonize a formerly whites-only library in downtown Nairobi. The McMillan Memorial Library is filled with junk, debris and books that don’t reflect the reality of modern day Kenyans. After decades of neglect, the space is handed over to the pair and the process of exorcising the ghosts of the colonial past begins. Beyond the physical renovation of the space, the act of cataloging the collection raises difficult questions about which histories should be preserved. Over the next eight years, the women navigate resistance to change from the librarians, the bureaucracy of local government and a costly fundraising goal. The filmmakers capture this journey with a precise observational lens, reflecting the complicated struggle to interrogate a nation’s past while trying to reclaim its’ future. (CT)