First Visit to Lubuto Library Project

This morning I was driven to Lubuto by Paul, taxi driver extraordinaire. The road leading to Lubuto was closed so Paul headed out on a dirt road and what a ride it was! It was nice to see a much more interesting side of Lubuto, as Cairo Road, Independence Avenue, and the (shudder) malls are a bit surface-level and sterile. Since the rainy season has begun, the roads were sometimes under water, slippery with mud, dipping, and curving. The area was full of people, open air markets, shanties, and other cars fighting for space on the one lane roads (I use the word loosely). Thanks to Paul.

Upon arrival to Lubuto, I met with the number one librarian (as he is the librarian of the first Lubuto Library), Elijah. A very kind and special person, Elijah. First thing we did is to tour the Fountain of Hope, a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of hundreds of street-kids in Zambia. Lubuto is one of many facilities available within the compound. Elijah showed me the classrooms, bunking quarters for resident boys, the kitchen and dining area, and medical clinic.

But the gem of the Fountain of Hope compound is the three structures of the Lubuto Library. Jane Meyers tells me that the entrance building is modeled after an "insaka," the traditional central gathering building in a village in this part of Africa. It has great significance in the ordering of people's lives in the village, where the elders gather to confer, etc. In the Lubuto Library, the insaka is a particular focal point for drama and storytelling, as well as a general meeting place. The library building is a cool, inviting place with bookshelves along the walls and a "talking circle" in the center. Art from the children hangs from the ceilings and on top of the bookshelves. In addition to the library, there is the art building where students paint on canvases and receive lessons from a painting instructor. This building is in constant use by aspiring artists, displaying an obvious love of painting.

The highlight of the day was meeting both Elijah and a young librarian volunteering at Lubuto, Memory. She is employed at the Copperbelt University Library and has taken two weeks of her vacation to work with the children of Lubuto and Fountain of Hope. What a pleasure it is to talk with Elijah and Memory about books, the importance of reading in gaining an education, and the future of African libraries. Oh, and they let this old cataloger help shelf-read the books and read to the smaller children. Just as in Ghana and the United States, Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar is a proven favorite.