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
