Republic of the Congo

In 2009, LWB joined forces with the General Téké Confederation to build a documentation and archive center in Mbé, the historical capital of the Téké Kingdom. Located 150 kilometers from Brazzaville, Mbé is the city of kings. Filled with history and culture, the village had no center for information and documentation on the history of the kingdom. The Teke archives were rotting in suitcases and the village children had no access to books during their schooling. 

It was in this context that the villagers decided to invest in a royal hut, a documentation and archive center that could house both a collection of archives and materials on Teke history and a general documentation center to teach the children of Mbé. The Center opened in 2010.

In 2010, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC) of the Republic of Congo asked LWB to develop its library. The challenge posed by the MAEC library was twofold, since it was both a specialized resource center for international relations and diplomacy and a space for reading and information for ministry agents. 

LWB supported the development of the library’s collections, their digitalization through a library management software, the implementation of access to online resources, and the respective training of personnel. The head of the library did an internship at a documentation center in France and spent a week at the book collection center to select the works for her library.