A Virtual Presentation on African Literary Restitution by Marianne Wamuyu and Tarus Sharon
Join us on September 30, 2025, for Worlding from Below: Mapping African Literary Spaces, a virtual presentation by Tarus Sharon and Marianne Wamuyu of Book Bunk Nairobi of Book Bunk. This event is part of the AAL Lab convening series Contemporary Art and Archive Practices (CAAP), jointly organised by Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation and Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.) within the framework of the Re:assemblages programme. Across 2025–26, CAAP will unfold as a constellation of hybrid public convenings exploring the porous borders between contemporary art and archival practice. The series welcomes the inaugural African Arts Libraries (AAL) Lab and Affiliates Network, incubated under Re:assemblages, alongside the wider public.
Worlding from Below: Mapping African Literary Spaces critically engages with the concept of African literary restitution as the reclamation, restoration, and activation of African literary archives shaped by colonial legacies. The convening follows the 2025 premiere of How to Build a Library, a documentary by Maia Lekow and Christopher King that accompanies Shiro Koinange and Angela Wachuka in the founding of Book Bunk, a charitable trust established in 2017 to restore public libraries in Nairobi, including the McMillan Memorial Library, a former whites-only colonial library established in 1931. Tarus and Marianne will share insights on the ongoing transformation of the former McMillan Memorial Library into a living civic space, anchored in women-led, community-centered approaches, while reflecting on their own roles in the process.
Due to unforseen circumstances, initial speaker Angela Wachuka’s Book Bunk colleagues, Tarus Sharon and Marianne Wamuyu, will present on her behalf.
Event Details
Date: 30th September 2025
Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm WAT (GMT +1)
Location: Online (Zoom Webinar)
This webinar is free to attend, however it is essential to register to receive the link to attend.
About the Speakers
Marianne Wamuyu
Marianne Wamuyu is the Programmes & Events Director at Book Bunk, where she steers flagship initiatives such as the Nairobi Litfest, Arts Programmes, and Library Clinics. A Literature and Political Science graduate and METIS Fellow, she brings extensive experience in cultural management, strategy, and stakeholder engagement. Her work positions libraries as civic infrastructures for education, creativity, and community building, while also negotiating the practical intersections of programming with operations, fundraising, and facilities management. Marianne’s leadership has been central to cultivating partnerships and scaling initiatives that reclaim public libraries as inclusive, transformative spaces within Nairobi’s cultural and literary landscape.
Marianne Wamuyu courtesy of Paul Munene.
Tarus Sharon
Tarus Sharon is the Communications Manager at Book Bunk, where she steers the organisation’s communications strategy across platforms, strengthening its public presence and advancing its mission of transforming Nairobi’s public libraries. She leads messaging for flagship initiatives such as Nairobi Litfest, impact campaigns, and fundraising communications, ensuring consistent and compelling storytelling about Nairobi's literary spaces. She holds a BA in Communications (Public Relations and Marketing) and brings over a decade of experience spanning strategy development, brand building, digital engagement, and stakeholder relations. Her work foregrounds impact-driven narratives that link literary spaces to community futures, reflecting her passion for the cultural and creative sector.
Tarus Sharon courtesy of Paul Munene.
About the Facilitator
Naima Hassan
Naima Hassan is a researcher, curator, and archivist based in Berlin. Her practice foregrounds alternative epistemologies, curatorial and archival ethics, with a focus on the epistemic transformation of postcolonial collections and memory cultures. She currently leads Re:assemblages, jointly developed with Guest Artists Space Foundation and Yinka Shonibare Foundation, as Associate Curator and Archivist. Under the multi-year programme Re:assemblages, she aims to connect the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive and other allied archives to a transnational network of communities, artists, scholars, and institutions.
The AAL convening series is made possible through the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art.
