100 booklets for Lamu

The Project

In January 2025, the Maktaba ya Sanaa team (LMYS) produced an addition of 23 new booklets for the Lamu Booklet Project Library. The subjects in the booklets are related to the culture and the environment of this famous Swahili region of Lamu. The books are handmade and self-published by artists, journalists, teachers, and librarians across the region.
Here are the reasons why we decided to write and self-publish our books.

  • The subjects in these books have never been written before.
  • This project offers our writers the opportunity to express their knowledge based on a subject of their choice.
  • Readers can access these books in their languages, written by
    local authors.
  • This project will enhance everybody’s engagement with their environment, it’s worth and their daily needs.

The total of 35 booklets produced in 2023 and 2025 are now part of the collection of the Maktaba ya Sanaa, Lamu Kenya and the African Library at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Do you want to sponsor the Project?

We are directly in need of your help so we can produce new items in the coming months. More info about sponsoring our project.
To contribute use bankaccount IBAN: NL 86 ABNA 0 4735 45543 stating 'Bookletsproject Lamu'

The Catalogue

Sauti za Amu

Amani H. Karisa – Fatma Issa Holm -Mohamed Aldarus, ed. Khadija Issa Twahir

Ndoto

James Nthiga Mwaniki

Sponsoring

The average production cost for one book is 40.000 KES/€300,00. This amount allows the production of three booklets per title and a fair pay for the writers. These costs will pay travel costs and the book presentation during the symposium.

Five new book projects are currently seeking funding:

  • The Fashion Booklet about todays’ fashion and Giriama culture by the sisters Serafina and Sandra;
  • The Book on a T-shirt project by Cyrus Henry;
  • Publishing of the novella The Hoodie Mad Man by Amani Karisa;
  • Booklet making schoolproject by Said Ali Hassan;
  • Edition of 100 copies of The Ultimate Journey by Ikhwan Omar and Khalil Mohammed.

To contribute use bankaccount IBAN: NL 86 ABNA 0 4735 45543 stating 'Bookletsproject Lamu'

For more information or your donation

Khadija Issa Twahir
Lamu Fort Library
sistershopandgallery@yahoo.com
+254 728937988

 contact:

Karin Voogd
IBAN: NL 86 ABNA 0 4735 45543
wakadodu@gmail.com
+31 6 46064043