In The Case of Books: Nairobi + Kampala

In The Case of Books is an ongoing project where different people get to travel to different library spaces and engage in the process of dusting and talking about the books they find there. It is designed as a travelling interactive performance. At the core of this project stands the conversations that examine the anatomy of knowledge, place of books, the identity and relevance of libraries and importantly the myths and rituals amongst the participating persons and institutions.

A key part of this performance is the communal ritual of dusting and arranging books on the bookshelves. All the experiences shared and issues raised constitute part of a greater ongoing conversation looking at the place, means and space of knowledge within the societies. This is at a time when the magnitude of information and its accessibility is at an all-time high and books have, for a long time now, been the most recognizable and acceptable conduits of this knowledge.

It was first performed in May 2013 in Nairobi and inspired Karuti’s first solo exhibition called Where Books Go to Die and again performed in September 2014. A 3rd edition was performed in October 2015 in Kampala-Uganda.

In the case of books- Kampala, 2015

In the case of books- Nairobi, 2014