The Uncensored Library

Contents

1 "The Uncensored Library" is a huge Minecraft map where anyone can read censored journalism from countries without freedom of press.
2 The library uses over 12.5 million Minecraft blocks.
3 Rooms
4 About The Project

"The Uncensored Library" is a huge Minecraft map where anyone can read censored journalism from countries without freedom of press.

The Uncensored Library is a Minecraft server and map released by Reporters without Borders and created by BlockWorks, DDB Berlin, and MediaMonks as an attempt to circumvent censorship in countries without freedom of the press. The library contains banned reporting from Mexico, Russia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. An entire wing is given to each country, each containing several banned articles. The library was released on March 12, 2020, the World Day Against Cyber Censorship. Currently, the two ways to access the library are to download a map from the official website, or to connect to their Minecraft server.

The library uses over 12.5 million Minecraft blocks.

The library is a large scale project built using a neoclassical architectural style. It is intended to resemble well-established institutions such as the New York Public Library, as well as stylistically allude to the authoritarian structures the project aims to subvert. The library uses over 12.5 million Minecraft blocks.

Rooms

Each of the five countries covered by the library, as well as Reporters without Borders, has an individual wing, containing a number of articles, available in English and the original language the article was written in. The texts within the library are contained in in-game book items, which can be opened and placed on stands to be read by multiple players at once. These articles generally discuss censorship, unjust punishment, and other critiques of the writer’s government. The interior architecture of each country’s room symbolizes each country’s unique situation and journalistic challenges. Additionally, the library contains a central room listing the Press Freedom Index and current state of freedom of the press of every country covered by the index, and the Mexican section contains memorials for reporters who were killed due to their writings. In total, the library contains over 200 different books.

COVID-19 room

An additional room was added into the library to cover issues of press freedom surrounding the topic of COVID-19. It contains books on 10 countries (Brazil, China, Egypt, Hungary, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Thailand and Turkmenistan) to show how reporting of the virus in each country has been affected.

About The Project

“In many countries, websites, social media and blogs are controlled by oppressive leaders. Young people, in particular, are forced to grow up in systems where their opinion is heavily manipulated by governmental disinformation campaigns.

But even where almost all media is blocked or controlled, the world’s most successful computer game is still accessible. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) uses this loophole to bypass internet censorship to bring back the truth – within Minecraft”. The Uncensored Library.

On March 12, the “World Day Against Cyber Censorship”, The Uncensored Library opened its doors.

“Providing access to independent information to young people around the world through a medium they can playfully interact with. Journalists from five different countries now have a place to make their voices heard again, despite having been banned, jailed, exiled and even killed.

Their forbidden articles were republished in books within Minecraft, giving readers the chance to inform themselves about the real political situation in their countries and learn the importance of press freedom.

Let’s empower the next generation to stand up for their right to information and give them a powerful tool to fight oppressive leaders: knowledge. Together with the ever-expanding gaming community, we will show the world that the truth will never be silenced!”. The Uncensored Library.