Opening Celebration
[The opening] represents the first effort under a formal agreement between Lubuto and the Ministry of Education to work together to actively seek out difficult-to-reach Zambian children and youth to extend high quality educational opportunities to this large and vastly underserved populationJane Kinney Meyers
The opening celebration for the second Lubuto Library took place on November 10, 2010 and was a great success—with some 500 children, youth and adults attending, despite unseasonably early rains. We were honored again by our special guest, the First Republican President of Zambia, Kenneth D. Kaunda, who was introduced by his former political advisor and member of Lubuto’s Advisory Board, Mark Chona.
Dr. Kaunda was recognized worldwide for the central role he played as a leader of the "frontline states" in the long confrontation between independent Black Africa and the white-dominated south of the continent until the end of apartheid. That such an important figure in Africa's history recognized the importance and came to celebrate the opening of this library was both thrilling and humbling.
The Guest of Honor, Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Crispin Musosha, M.P., was represented by Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Andrew Phiri. Member of Parliament for Mandevu, Hon. Jean Kapata also made congratulatory remarks, and the emcee was our own Mulenga Kapwepwe, Advisory Board member and Chairperson of the National Arts Council of Zambia.
The opening activities included story dramatizations and dance performances by Zambian children and youth, and presentations by authors Peggy Chilema and Gankhanani Moyo of local-language books they created during a recent book-making workshop co-sponsored by Lubuto Library Partners and the Zambian Board on Books for Young People.
Opening Speeches
Model Library opening photos
