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DIBUKA The Embassy of France in South Africa, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Alliance Française of Johannesburg are proud to present the newly revamped francophone multimedia library, named after the Setswana word for books.
Dibuka is today the biggest francophone multimedia library in South Africa with a collection of 17 000 documents, including books, DVDs and CDs. Fifteen years after its creation, the need was felt to reposition Dibuka according to library uses that have evolved over the years. The aim of renovating Dibuka was to come up with an open and welcoming place in which multiple activities can take place and where the idea of meeting and the notion of experience prevail. The Johannesburg-based design firm Urban Works was commissioned to redesign the space accordingly. Urban Works is an inter-disciplinary studio that has been involved
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in various projects, from city planning for places such as Ivory Park, to smaller scale projects such as the design of the Flame of Democracy at Constitution Hill. Urban Work’s priority is to transform and reinvent existing spaces to fit the evolution of uses and society. Urban Works worked closely with The Coloured Cube to create tailormade furniture for the library, using local materials and coming up with high-quality products. The Coloured Cube’s mission is to promote the local makers in Johannesburg, bringing together a range of creatives, businesses and property developers through the love of making.
