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“A Deeply Important Gap in Kenya’s History” | Maia Lekow & Christopher King, How to Build a Library

Countless stacks of books are piled up in a room.Still from How to Build a Library. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why?

One unforgettable day was following our subjects into the basement of the decaying McMillan Library and witnessing them unearth from a pile of junk a miniature photograph of the first hanging in Kenya, in 1907, conducted by the Imperial British East Africa Company. We all got chills and, in this tiny photograph, found a deeply important gap in Kenya’s history as well as a powerful symbol for the library restoration project and its importance to heal the injustices of the past to build a better future.

Several years later, we managed to film the visit of the King of England’s visit to that same library, which felt like a dramatic full circle for a film that is exploring the issues of power, and decolonization. The royal visit happened completely out of our control, but gave us a powerful climax and historical event to document as part of Kenya’s unfolding history.

See all responses to our annual Sundance Question here.

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