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‘How to Build a Library’ Review: Compassionate but Uneven Documentary Tracks the Reinvention of a Colonial Era Library in Kenya
This documentary, premiering at Sundance, follows the rehabilitation of a colonial-era library in Kenya, but only tells half of a story.
Shiro (a writer) and Wachuka (a publisher) are first seen in 2018, taking on the project of caring for the McMillian Library, a historical institution privately built by British settlers and currently owned by the government. There are also community meetings where academics and other intellectuals talk about the impact of the colonial era and what they hope the library will stand for after the rehabilitation ends. The story of all the obstacles they encounter, particularly with government red tape and corruption, engender sympathy for them and sheds a light on Kenya’s current political situation.
Or read this on Variety