A Palace For The People

A disturbing photo is found in the library archive, and Wanjiru and Wachuka speak to experts about the history of capital punishment in Kenya. Note: this episode features discussions on police brutality.

Kenya’s education system is in the midst of change. After finding an old exam book, Wanjiru and Wachuka look back at the genesis of the 844 system to see what its promise was, what it became, and what its replacement will mean for the future of Kenya’s school system.

Why did Kenya once host over 60,000 Italian Prisoners of War? Wanjiru and Wachuka look at a slice of Kenyan history during World War II.

Wanjiru and Wachuka investigate the history of the library's colonial hunting trophies and the disruption of indigenous conservation during colonialism.

Coming soon, a brand new season of A Palace For The People, a podcast about what Kenya’s past tells us about Kenya’s present. Join our hosts, Wanjiru Koinange and Angela Wachuka Thursday, April 20 for the first episode.

Welcome to the last episode of Season One of A Palace For The People! We are thrilled to have so many of you listen in.

In our finale live episode, we answer your questions about Book Bunk, the podcast, the libraries and our plans for these palaces for the people. Tune in and hear our responses to your questions.

We have a little something different for you in this episode, our second-to-last of the season! Do you like audio fiction and Kenyan literature? You'll love this episode as we have an all star cast perform a snippet of Wanjiru Koinange's debut novel "The Havoc of Choice". Also, get to hear about Book Bunk's aims in the world of publishing.

Buy the book book here: https://www.bookbunk.org/projects/bunk-books/

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Our upcoming episode is the 8th and final one, and will feature a Q&A with our listeners. We are inviting you to share questions about this podcast, the libraries, Book Bunk or anything else we have touched on. Send us a voice note to (+254) 714 258474 and we will answer your questions in the live episode.

In this episode, we explore a significant element of Kenya's history; the King's African Rifles. Join Wachuka and Wanjiru, on this episode's journey exploring a significant element of Kenya's history's.

How is this multi-battalion British colonial regiment connected to the McMillan Memorial Library? Tune in to find out!

In this episode Wanjiru and Wachuka go deep into the history of architecture and empire. We ask, who designed the McMillan Memorial Library building? And how do we make sure we keep it standing?

Wanjiru speaks to Dr. Sarah Longair an expert in the architecture of the British Empire to try and found out more about the design, and we speak to architect Balmoi Abe about the future of the building.

How to actually build a library. In this episode Wachuka begins by telling us about the process of creating the first ever digital catalogue of McMillan Memorial library. It took 23 people, 8,332 hours and loads of stickers! She also speaks with Dr. Henry Chakava, a publisher with the African Writers Series from Heinneman in the 1970s. Both of them converse on Nairobi and East Africa’s rich literary scene. Many of these authors’ books from the region will find a home in McMillan Library and its branches.