BACKGROUND

Why Build a Library in Kigali, Rwanda?

The Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga, the American Friends of the Kigali Public Library, and Marshall Scholars for the Kigali Public Library are committed to building Rwanda's first public library in the nation's capital, Kigali.

We decided to build a public library to counter the striking scarcity of books in Rwanda and the resulting lack of a culture of reading. For decades Rwanda suffered from isolationism, violence, and extremism, which finally culminated in April 1994 in a genocide in which approximately one million Rwandans were killed.

Our goals in building the Kigali Public Library are the following:

To Safeguard Freedom and to Aid the Development of a Healthy Society

The inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes in Ancient Greece reads: "Medicine for the soul." Even then, over two thousand years ago, humanity understood the importance of literacy and literature to a healthy society. The Kigali Public Library campaign also recognizes the significance of reading and books to a strong nation and people.

In Rwanda, a public library will help to safeguard freedom and to aid the development of a healthy democracy by providing access to information that enables citizens to make decisions necessary to govern themselves. By enriching minds and encouraging critical thought, a public library can combat the stultifying burdens of ignorance and conformity; its existence signifies the extent to which a democratic society values knowledge, truth, and justice.

To Make Information and Ideas Freely Accessible to All Rwandans

The library will be free and open to the public, as we recognize that a key aspect of ending violence and preventing another genocide is to make information and ideas freely accessible to all Rwandans, regardless of income, religion, or other factors. As Andrew Carnegie said, "there is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration."

To Help Develop Business Skills

Once users have access to the library's materials, they will have the opportunity to gain knowledge that will help in securing employment or starting a business. Without such an institution to promote independent thinking and informed decision-making, the dream of safety and equality in Rwanda will never be fulfilled.

To Open Children's Minds

Rwanda's first public library will play a major role in opening children's minds. A library can transport children from the commonplace to the extraordinary by providing them with works of non-fiction and fiction to broaden their knowledge and to inspire their creativity. From story hours for preschoolers to career and education planning for secondary students, the library will make a difference by encouraging the development of every individual who enters the building.

To Promote Conscientious Action

These books will encourage children to take an active interest in their government by sharing the history of the Rwandan country and its people, which will promote conscientious action and provide a more secure future.

To Build a Common National Identity

Finally, a public library in Rwanda will help to build a common national identity. This library will house special collections on such topics as Rwandan history and literature, which will serve to preserve the past and to validate and unify the entire nation. The library will preserve the record of the nation of Rwanda, its culture and community. The library will enable us to communicate through distance and time with the living and the dead. It will be a miracle made available by the meticulous sorting, storing, indexing, and preservation of library work.

Donations and Volunteering

We invite you to support this effort to create Rwanda's first public library. If you wish to donate to the Kigali Public Library, please click here. If you are interested in volunteering to help build the Kigali Public Library, please click here.