The Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD) is eight years old today!

During that time, we’ve hosted over 100 writers-in-residence, run hundreds of events, created or co-created three school and community libraries, delivered hundreds of lessons to thousands of schoolchildren, and donated thousands of culturally relevant books to individuals and communities. And that’s just off the top of my head! The personal and professional sacrifices have been great, but the outcomes speak for themselves.

So it’s nice to be recognised in a stunning new book by Lannoo Publishers as one of “150 Libraries You Need to Visit Before You Die.”

The book features “the ultimate list of the world’s most beautiful libraries,” of which LOATAD is one, repping Africa along with 10 other libraries on the continent:

“Whether you are an avid reader or architecture lover, this richly illustrated book serves as an inspiring travel guide and is the perfect reference for those in search of quiet yet endlessly interesting spaces. From opulent Baroque monasteries to sleek contemporary cultural hubs, each library has its own story.”

In 2020, I was interviewed by an Italian journalist who suggested that a library as exquisite as LOATAD was an extravagance in a country like Ghana, as if beauty doesn’t belong in Africa or is somehow out of place, the implication being that beauty is the privilege of the privileged, and that (those perceived as) poor don’t need or deserve it; they have more pressing concerns.

What she failed to understand is that beauty inspires beauty, and there is nowhere else this library could be but Ghana, the home of big political and cultural dreams, and Africa, the cradle of a history so rich it predates Western concepts of time.  

Speaking of time: Now is the time to build African institutions!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last eight years – patrons, funders, individual donors, and followers. We survive against all odds, and we do so beautifully. 

While we do, be sure to visit us. As the book says, we are one in 150!

Onward…