Presented as part of the exhibition Public Intimacy, Chimurenga Library offered a simple system that allowed visitors to connect various items in the stacks at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library in a way that generates different narratives, with a focus on the work of African American artists, writers, and performers who participated in pan-African festivals of the 1960s and 1970s.
The installation and research project included a panel discussion focusing on the legacy of FESTAC ’77, a cultural event that was held in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1977 and remains the largest pan-African arts festival that has ever taken place. Featured speakers included Andrew Apter of UCLA, and Akin Adesokan of the University of Indiana at Bloomington.