Film Screening: How to Build a Library | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Film Screening: How to Build a Library

Join us for a special screening of the award-winning documentary - How to Build a Library.

This film tells the story of two tenacious Nairobi women - Shiro Koinange and Angela Wachuka - who decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.

Entry to the film screening is free, bookings are strongly recommended.

"Shiro and Wachuka have made it their mission to not only rebuild this library physically, but psychologically as well. They have given us incredible access to film their lives and work, which we feel is an important and untold story of the urban Nairobi we know."

Film directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King

"...a nuanced exploration of legacy and reclamation that extends beyond the library's walls."

Sundance

Event details
04 Jun 2026
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Free
Theatre
Accessibility
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon Assistance animals welcome
Assistive learning icon Assistive learning icon Hearing induction loop
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon Wheelchair accessible

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