Media
Podcast
Welcome to A Palace for The People, a podcast unearthing pieces of Nairobi’s history that support and feed the restoration process of the McMillan Memorial Library and its branches in Makadara and Kaloleni. Hosted by the Founders of Book Bunk; Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru Koinange, the title of this podcast is inspired by Eric Klinenberg’s book, Palaces for The People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life.
Join us on an eight-part journey featuring conversations with featured guests including McMillan Memorial Library’s Chief Librarian, Jacob Ananda, Kaloleni resident Orpah Agunda, Urban Ethnographer Dr. Wangui Kimari, Environmental Architect Dr. Alfred Omenya, Publisher Henry Chakava and Social Heritage Architect Balmoi Abe. Conversations are centred around the McMillan Library; its history; the restoration process; the importance of designing public spaces with people in mind; plans for the library; publishing in African languages, and the future of Nairobi’s public spaces.
In March 2018, we formalised a milestone partnership with the Nairobi City County government which established our mandate to lead the restoration of three libraries; McMillan Memorial Library, Eastlands Library and Kaloleni Library.
Our work includes sourcing and management of financial and in-kind support; steering architectural restoration, management of the library spaces and design & delivery of arts and skills-based programming. Following our physical restoration projects as well as public programming, two of these three libraries are now in use by the general public, serving children, youth and adults in new and enriching ways.
McMillan Memorial
Library
Eastlands
Library
Kaloleni
Library