Thought Leader

The Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library, a collaboration between former president Thabo Mbeki and architect Sir David Adjaye, promises to be an exciting new symbol for the African renaissance

joburg has a brand new landmark – the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library, a space of excellence, learning, research, discourse and cultural exchange predicated on the African perspective. Recently completed by Sir David Adjaye’s firm, Adjaye Associates, the new space will fulfil a multiplicity of functions, as a museum, temporary exhibition space, research centre, auditorium and women’s empowerment centre, among others. Providing infrastructure for the preservation and distribution of African history and knowledge, the library will become a new anchorage point and campus for local and international scholars. ‘This space presents an opportunity to realise the ambition of the dreams of former president Thabo Mbeki to advance and empower an African renaissance,’ says David. ‘The architecture of the library taps into the collective memory of the continent through a new historical centre for African consciousness in which education and sustenance are nurtured in the representation and intelligence of the continent.’