‘It’s therapeutic’: the book kiosk helping Syria reconnect with literature

Most people avoid Tartus, a coastal city in Syria, because of the scorching summer heat. Mohamed Zaher, a dedicated shopper, sits in his kiosk with a book lined wall, offering people who dare to brave the heat a seat and a complimentary journey through one his books.

Having experienced the healing effects of reading during Syria’s decade-long conflict, the 32-year-old co-founded the Wisdom Seller, a social project that aims to reconnect Syrians with the dying practice of reading.

Books were a refuge for Zaher during the seven years that he spent on the battlefields that claimed thousands and decimated his country. “It’s therapeutic. Flipping through pages in a book helped me get through each day, and help me forget about the horrors that war has caused. Syrians need this – to erase the images the war encrypted in their minds,” he tells Positive News.

Books have become a luxury that is not affordable for many Syrians. The conflict saw the destruction of many printing shops, the closing of countless bookstores, as well as the flight of intellectuals and authors from a country that was once known for its regional cultural influence. It also left Syria’s economy in tatters: 90 per cent of Syrians now live below the poverty lineAccording to the UN, more than 80 percent are food insecure.

Buying books, therefore, is the last thing on people’s minds, especially as printed copies have been overshadowed by growing dependence on the internet to access information and literature.

Zaher’s wooden kiosk, located in the centre of Tartus, just metres from the glistening Mediterranean Sea, is adorned with literature quotes, images of politicians, and an invitation for passersby to grab a book and read 15 or more pages to get a free cup of coffee.

Those who accept the invitation get to choose from 2,000 odd books, which line the kiosk’s walls, both inside and out, and are displayed on stands in the street, surrounded by tables and chairs.

Ali Shaqra, 35 years old, has made the kiosk his favorite hangout in his hometown. “It’s a place where I gain knowledge and meet interesting people,” says the newly married young man, who met his wife, Loujain Al-Owair, at the kiosk.

Economic strain

Tartus has been spared most of Syria’s violence, but it cannot escape the terrible economic conditions that Ghada Azizouqi, a resident, claims have kept her away her passion for reading. The 45-year old braves the heat and chooses a book to read. She then sits in shade by a nearby wall, reading a book.

“There is a pleasure and a more personal feel to holding a book in your hands. This was made difficult as a result of books’ prices soaring in recent years, and I settled for digital copies. But since Wisdom Seller started, it has become a habit of mine to come here every other day and read for no less than an hour,” she says.

The Syrian pound has been trading at nearly 9,000 to the dollar since the conflict began. This has caused it to lose almost 99 percent of its value. inflation rates that are in triple digits. According to media reports, an official at the Al-Wahda Foundation for Press, Printing, Publishing and Distribution said that printing and paper prices have increased by at most 500% in the last two years. Meanwhile, numbers of printing publications that accessed Syria’s markets dropped from around 1,000 a day before the conflict, to no more than ten now.

As such, Zaher also encourages his visitors to donate books. “Visitors are invited to take books home if they replace them with other ones,” he says, adding that since the project’s launch, around 20,000 readers have stopped at his kiosk.

Having put the little money he had – along with a former partner – in setting up this project, Zaher, who is now the sole manager of Wisdom Seller, relies mostly on donations from well-off residents of Tartus to keep his project afloat.

I found it helpful to flip the pages of a book to escape the horrors of war.

“There are customers who come for the coffee while they enjoy a chitchat, or other events we hold like band performances – but the income made from selling coffee isn’t enough to keep us going,” explains Zaher, adding that he needs around $200 a month to cover expenses.

While Zaher is speaking about his project the 12-year old regular visitor Amr Ali grabs a book and sats down at one the tables. Many coffee lovers are already gathering around the kiosk to have a deep conversation. 

“I’m not here for the coffee, but for the pleasure of reading,” says Ali, in between the silent flipping through the pages of his book. “I love it.”

This article was co-published with Egab, a media organization that empowers journalists from Africa and the Middle East.

Main image: Wisdom Seller