Freedom reads & Library Gardens playtime

May 4, 2026

Read about African liberation icons to mark the holidays

Freedom Day

“The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall be Opened!
The government shall discover, develop and encourage national talent for the enhancement of our cultural life;
All the cultural treasures of mankind shall be open to all, by free exchange of books, ideas and contact with other lands;
The aim of education shall be to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace;” - The Freedom Charter (1955)

Browse the collection

Are we seeing you this Saturday at Venus book launch?

On, Saturday 2 May Sizwe Buthelezi launches Venus, his new poetry collection.

Date: 2 May
Time: 11:00 - 15:00
Where: Bridge Books Barbican, 89 Helen Joseph Cnr Rissik

Reserve your spot

An update from the LitDistrict

Our park activators turn Library Gardens into a soccer field for the afternoon.

The heart of Johannesburg beats strong with culture, urging the youth and community to take part. The Library Gardens is a melting pot where community games unite people across ages, genders, classes, and races. By revitalizing the Library Gardens and other inner-city parks, we can reclaim these spaces as hubs that foster connection.
Meet our Park Activators for a game or two on Monday and Tuesday afternoons at the Library Gardens.

For more updates follow the LitDistrict on Instagram.

Staff picks from Nkosinati Dube

I am a writer, visual artist, and filmmaker with a deep rooted foundation in crafting stories and imagery that are of substance and can ask the audience to not limit their minds. With a majority of my life spent in in the US, and schooling years in South Africa - attaining a Bachelors in Sociology, and Politics & Governance from UCT and a Art Residency in Padula, Italy - there is a reservoir of culture & understanding that I have learned from and infused into my work. While working at Bridge Books, I am currently attaining my Honours in Creative Writing at the University of Witwatersrand and writing on a feature film set during the Rwanda Genocide in 1994.

Dawn by Octavia Butler

My introduction to the amazing worlds that Butler spent her precious time creating. I have read Dawn multiple times and recommend it for anyone that appreciates the usage of sci-fi for allegorical purposes and those that enjoy a good old post apocalyptic narrative.

Buy here

Young Blood by Sifiso Mzamo

There are hidden worlds in the streets we roam and Mzamo’s cautionary tale, such a world is revealed: one of unencumbered violence and the young men who take the wheel of life into their own hands, for better or worse.

Buy here

How Depression Saved My Life by Chude Jideonwo

Chude’s honest reflection and appreciation for lessons learned on ambition, the true joys of life, and the crossroads moment many find themselves at in deciding between the former pair is a great addition to the growing display of vulnerability amongst African men.

Buy here

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

An oldie but a goodie that fuses mythology with the modern, this was the first book I read that established my love for the weird, surreal, and adventurous narratives that have fueled me first as a reader - when I couldn’t afford to watch the movie adaptation - and now as a writer.

Buy here

I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin

A master of raw honesty in the hopes that it could trigger something in the rest of his fellow human beings, Baldwin’s journey as told through the text and film have given me strength and courage to do the same whenever I use my voice and pen.

Buy here

Reminiscing about the Body Problems launch

In Body Problems, M. Wolff offers groundbreaking insight into Sally Gross, a South African intersex priest and activist whose body was continuously policed and politicized. M. Wolff explores the idea of a body: as an institution, and as an oppressive force. Gross’s role in founding Intersex South Africa and her involvement with the African National Congress are celebrated in the Apartheid Museum, but the complex dimensions of her life—from her Jewish heritage to her Christian priesthood and Buddhist practices—remain largely unexplored…

You can read Katya’s full post featuring some of Wolff’s presentation slides on our blog.

Read here