POV: How to Build A Library
The documentary 'How to Build a Library' follows two Kenyan women as they restore Nairobi's historic McMillan Memorial Library. The film explores themes of post-colonial identity and the power of community-led cultural preservation.
Why it matters
It highlights grassroots efforts to reclaim public spaces and rewrite colonial narratives in modern Africa.
Facebook WhatsApp Email Circle and Square Productions Ltd. / POV A still from "How to Build a Library" by Maia Lekow and Christopher King. Premieres Monday, Aug. 24, 2026 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+
POV presents " How to Build a Library, " was Filmed over six years starting in 2017, the documentary chronicles two visionary Kenyan women as they transform Nairobi's historic McMillan Memorial Library —once reserved exclusively for white patrons during British colonial rule—into a vibrant cultural hub for the city it serves today.
As they navigate political resistance, fundraising challenges, and competing visions for the library's future, their journey reveals both the complexities and the possibilities of reimagining a public institution for a new generation. In the process, the documentary explores a post-colonial identity crisis through the eyes of Kenya’s millennial generation, raising universal questions about history, ownership, and belonging.
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