World Capital 2019 restores the Macmillan Historical Library in Nairobi

Under the direction of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the World Book Capital for 2019 ensured the restoration and renovation of the Macmillan Historical Library, one of the most famous libraries in the African continent in the heart of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The independent Kenyan Book Bank Trust is responsible for overseeing the restoration and renovation of three libraries, Macmillan and its two sister libraries in the Kenyan capital.

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publishers Association and Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Sharjah World Book Capital 2019, announced the grant during a charity ceremony held at the Library Building.

Sheikha Badour Al Qasimi said: «The message of Sharjah, the global capital of the book, is embodied in emphasizing the need to enhance understanding, dialogue and mutual respect between different cultures of the world through the book, and we are here today in Kenya, outside the borders of our emirate and our country, to support your efforts in preserving this ancient cultural landmark that "Reveals the historical depth of your city."

Uniting societies

Sheikha Badour Al Qasimi stressed that this support is in line with the belief of the Emirate of Sharjah of the importance of caring for and celebrating heritage, for its active role in uniting societies, enhancing the identity of children and adolescents and youth and their association with their authentic values, and indicated that donation is part of the continuous efforts led by the emirate to support the march of nations and peoples around The world is in the process of building strong cultural institutions and influencing their societies.

Sheikha Badour Al Qasimi added: “We are certain that true cultural economic development cannot be achieved without a solid cultural base. The title of Sharjah, the world capital of the book 2019, was a natural result of our efforts and our focus on culture and human development over 40 years.”

Sheikha Badour Al Qasimi continued: “After restoring and renewing the library and opening its doors to the public, can you imagine the number of young people who will inspire them? And how many dreams will you achieve? And how many people will change their lives? Here, I must express my happiness with the efforts made by the Book Bank Foundation, and express my gratitude to all those who contributed in providing support and assistance in achieving its goals ».

Detailed achievement

Koenanjih and Wachuca, the founders of "Book Bank", expressed their happiness with the restoration of the library, noting that it constitutes a detailed achievement at the end of this year, and pointed out that Sharjah believes in the importance of Kenya's archives of books, its public facilities, and its role in advancing the culture of Kenyans, noting that it raises morale Community, and inspire him to continue his efforts to preserve this historic library.

A history of challenges

The Macmillan family built the “Macmillan Historical Library” when Kenya was under British rule, in honor of the American explorer, philanthropist and humanist William Northrop Macmillan who settled in Kenya,

Over the years, the library has suffered neglect, and its stock of books, fixtures and equipment has become an urgent need for restoration, restoration and protection.

future

Upon completion of the restoration and renewal process, the library will become a major destination for reading and knowledge exchange, and a modern center for events and cultural activities, and some of the efforts of "Book Bank" will be to re-establish and rationalize the stock of books, inventories, indexing and classification of part of the library's current inventory of book collections estimated at 400 thousand Book.