Dua Lipa opened a library for banned books. Here's why

Dua Lipa's banned book library in Portugal draws attention to who decides what books kids and teens are allowed to read. The conversation pit at The Manifesto Library in Porto, Portugal, a new library for banned books opened by Dua Lipa. Pop star Dua Lipa has opened a library for banned books. The Manifesto Library, opened in Portugal, includes 100 banned books or books that have been removed from library systems. Read on to find out why a teen and expert disagree. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ At a new library across the Atlantic ocean, teens sit cross-legged on sunken benches, surrounded by bookshelves, heads bent over books that some around the world don't want them to read. That's because the books have been subject to censorship, banned from publication or taken out of libraries at some point in history. The space — located at the bottom of the Livraria Lello book store in Porto, Portugal — is called The Manifesto Library and was opened by pop star Dua Lipa earlier this summer. Lipa through her book club, Service95, said that the new library is in the name of anti-censorship, and is for readers who 'refuse to be told what book they are allowed. ' In an interview with CBC Kids News, senior bookseller at Livraria Lello, Virginia Silva, said that by sharing books that have been banned, the Manifesto Library aims to help people to access knowledge and freedom. 'When you create your own knowledge, you also create freedom because you have your own ideas. And it's not bad to have our own ideas. ' While some experts say Lipa's effort is an important part of maintaining our freedom of expression, others have lobbied to remove certain books from libraries, particularly for youth, to protect people. Through her Service95 book club, Dua Lipa hosts interviews with prominent writers, such as Canadian author Margaret Atwood, known for Books are banned or challenged for many reasons, according to Joseph Jeffery, the chair of Canadian School Libraries. Some are banned, he said, for tackling complex topics like racism, gender identity or sexuality, others for telling stories about marginalized communities, and many others for making people uncomfortable by questioning power and authority. , written by 15-year-old Anne Frank during the Holocaust, has been challenged for decades, namely for objections over her descriptions of bodily changes during puberty and her emotional tone. Within The Manifesto Library, the collection of 100 titles are organized into four categories: voice, power, memory and control. has been banned in countries during times of war for its political themes. The story features a totalitarian government, which is a government that controls citizens' public and private life, that Orwell said he based on communism.by Angie Thomas was widely banned in schools in the U.S., because of violence and thoughts of promoting anti-police views. It was removed from Nova Scotia school curriculums in 2023, due to profanities in the book. The American Library Association documented 5,668 books banned from libraries in 2025. That's the highest number of titles censored in one year since 1990. Groups like PEN International and the Centre for Free Expression said calls to ban books in our country have also been increasing. Last year, Alberta passed Bill-28, which is a new law that instructs school libraries from K to 12 to remove books with explicit images of sexual acts. The bill was pushed by Parents for Choice in Education, a non-profit group which said the ban is meant to protect kids and have parents included in the conversation of what their children are exposed to at school. John Hilton-O'Brien, the group's executive director, told CBC News that the group found books in schools that have graphic visuals he thinks kids shouldn't see. He said removing those books wasn't about freedom of expression, but an act to protect kids from the harm the images could cause. Vanya Chhajer, a 15-year-old from Toronto, Ontario, reads 50 to 60 books a year and runs her school's book club. 'I think by the time people are in high school, they should have the chance to read what they want to read,' she said. Instead of banning books entirely, Vanya believes young people should get trigger warnings from trusted adults so they can make their own decisions. "By censoring books or banning books, people aren't being exposed to what happened or what people have written and can continue making those same mistakes over and over again. "Some librarians have also expressed concerns over banning books. Lita Barrie, the chair of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations and a public librarian in Ontario, told CBC Kids News that banning books 'doesn't protect young people — it restricts their ability to understand the world. 'Barrie was excited to see that a global figure like Dua Lipa is using her book club and the library to spread awareness about young people's rights. She said that this work is vital because it aligns with international standards that Canada has agreed to, including the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child to freedom of expression. Under Article 13, a kid's right to freedom of expression is described as 'freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice. '2026-04-23 17:042023-02-01 02:00