Beyond Books
Our colorful literary events and activities include Storytime on Fridays, 2pm at Library Gardens, Book tours, Park Activations and boardgames at Bridge Books Monday – Saturday.
MORE BOOKS, IN MORE HANDS
Place-making through literary culture in the Joburg Inner-city
OUR PROJECTS
We work to preserve and share South African stories, bringing oral traditions to print and expanding access to literature through our monthly book donations to outdoor libraries in Alexandra and Soweto. As we expand, including plans for Library Gardens, we also partner with community organizations to support literacy outreach across South Africa. Through these efforts, we’re helping to revive classic South African literature, ensuring these powerful voices continue to resonate today.
ABOUT US
The LitDistrict celebrates Joburg’s book culture, past and present. We bring together diverse identities of readers in our area while working to make it a safe, walkable neighborhood.
The LitDistrict includes the Johannesburg City Library, the Library Gardens, Oppenheimer Park, Bridge Books, more than 70 innercity book sellers, book collectors and several other venues that are part of the network and community.
The District
Johannesburg’s literary scene took root quickly after the city’s founding. By 1890, eleven booksellers, including the nascent Central News Agency (CNA), were operating, some from humble beginnings similar to today’s LitDistrict booksellers. While the CNA and other established booksellers catered to a portion of the population, Black readers forged their own literary spaces. In 1924, the Bantu Men’s Social Centre, a vibrant cultural hub near the LitDistrict, established the city’s first known library for people of color. This center, a key location for cultural activities, political gatherings (including the ANC Youth League’s founding), and even banned performances, was ultimately closed under the apartheid-era Group Areas Act.
Your Support
We’re deeply grateful for the generous support of our sponsors and partners, who make it possible for us to bring more books to more hands in South Africa. Without their commitment, our work wouldn’t be possible. To support us please view donations page below.
City Greening
Nestled among the vibrant streets of Joburg, our Lit District is not only a haven for book lovers but also a natural ecosystem. As we cultivate a love for reading, we're equally dedicated to nurturing the natural beauty of our surroundings. Through our partnership with the Johannesburg Development Agency's Our City, Our Block programme, we're spearheading initiatives that promote environmental stewardship. Our efforts include streets cleaning, transforming the Library Gardens park into a lush oasis. By planting flower beds, expanding grassy areas, and protecting local biodiversity, we're not only enhancing the aesthetic of Jozi but also contributing to climate cooling efforts.
Our Sponsors
In the Press
Promote access to books and libraries. The Literary District’s goal is to help improve experience and perception of the city by creating a literary district in a walkable swath of downtown Johannesburg, …
The Rissik Street Post Office was built in 1897 by President Paul Kruger’s architect Sytze Wierda. At the time, it was the tallest building in Johannesburg. In 1978, the Post …
In this photo taken Monday, Feb. 8, 2016 Geoff Klass, works on a computer in his bookstore containing some 2 million books and prints in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Collectors …
Read More Griffin Shea in his shop, Bridge Books © Marc Shoul When Griffin Shea first visited downtown Johannesburg as a young journalist, he hardly imagined it as a base …
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