All over the world, libraries have epitomised civilisation. We have formed a sophisticated web structure with these books; ranging from books on sciences, nature, mathematics to fiction as seen in the poems of Taban Lo Liyong, the drama of Nikolai Gogol and the only book in the Bible that does not mention God – Songs of Solomon.
The infamous burning of the Library of Alexandria by Julius Caesar in 48BC – which some scholars have claimed was accidental –with the consequent loss of the most complete collection of ancient literature, has always baffled and infuriated mankind. This destruction was a warning to us, and even now, 1,600 years later: We must never let it happen again.
Somewhere in the slums of Deepsea in Parklands was the "smallest known library in Africa". Sadly, the room that housed this beacon of hope for slum children was burnt down last week to give way for private development.
In a photo that made the rounds on social media, the founder of the library and the recipient of the Presidential Commendation Award, Clifford Oluoch, sat solemnly on the ashes of what was once a buzzing little library. He looks in dismay and frustration at the remains of what was once a shining beacon of hope for the slum kids.
I am a 90s kid. Back then, the Safari Rally was a big thing and so was a visit to a local library van that visited once every week. Despite our national budget having been, at the time, below $4 billion (that is equivalent to what Arsenal FC was worth at some point) many parents could still afford to spare some money to enrol their children for the services of a local library in their town or neighbourhood.
Lately, libraries around the block or in a school are the last destination in many people’s itineraries. Why the strained relationship with libraries? We may want to make peace – it’s been too long!
Growing up, in our little estate in a little-known town in Athi River-Kitengela, a huge, black and white Kenya National Library Service van was a regular guest. We would throng it to quench our thirst for books that were not available at school. It was a fulfilling experience. Sadly, the van is gone.
Paradoxically, the vanquished Safari Rally is back to the World Rally Championship and on our menu, while the Kenya National Library Services has sojourned. My two childhood, bigger than life phenomena can’t seem to be able to live together. They have continuously switched places. This union has been away so long and it’s been a long wait… More like Waiting for Godot.
In the 90s, my dad would walk me to the KNLS van and borrow a book or two. I still remember them. One was a little book of about 20 pages—Njamba Nene and the Flying Bus by Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
These books were largely written in English and had so many pictures.
On another day, my dad would get me a Swahili book. This didn’t have many pictures, just sentences that I learnt were methali za Kiswahili (Kiswahili proverbs). Now, that was boring. I didn’t know what he was thinking. Or what I was supposed to do with the book.
And then on another absolutely good day came a different book – Conger Eels, or so I think it was the title. It was about a small family that lived in a coastal fishing town in England. They made a living by catching the slimy conger eels.
I instantly developed a liking for reading.
Dads, and to my feminist friends, mums no longer get books for their children. Especially when schools close. They believe that all books are found in schools. As a teacher, I should be frank with you. It is not our responsibility to raise your children. We should all be in it together. This is when a visit to a library could be a refreshing thought.
Raising kids is not suspended with school closures.
Most parents are now preoccupied with the misplaced notion that pleasing their children is the best thing that ever happened since the discovery of the beehives.
They believe ice cream from the local ice cream man cannot be replaced with anything else. Not to mention a library.
Wrong!
Give these children books. Science books, maths books, storybooks… Any books.
As for the little library that was burnt down by a private developer at Deepsea slum, many children in this informal settlement have had a favourite place deleted from their menu. At least here, we had some Kenyans reading books. Herein lies the metaphor of a burnt library.
Poet and educator
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