Meet our partner cafe

I’m sitting in Cairo, enjoying the atmosphere at the Al Balad Cultural Center and Bookstore, one of two 100 Books knowledge cafe partners we’ll be establishing on this trip. The center is at 31 Mohammed Mahmoud Street, a busy road in downtown Cairo which borders the leafy campus of the American University of Cairo. Around me, in a series of high-ceilinged rooms, is a large collection of Arabic-language books for sale, as well as a few hundred English-language books and a beautifully displayed CD collection of Arabic music. Art created by young local artists adorns the walls. There are colorful caricatures of famous Egyptians in watercolor, oil paintings of tired Egyptian farmers, and delicate wood carvings. There is a quiet buzz as people discuss work and chat with friends in English and Arabic.

 

This place is a kind of oasis from the dusty, loud streets, and young, intellectual-minded Egyptians sometimes spend the whole day here working at tables and drinking coffee. There are film showings and a great interest in what’s new in literature. In short, El Balad is an perfect partner for this project.

We’ve agreed to start a small English-language lending library here on Thursday, as the very first effort of the 100 Books Project. The young people who run the cafe are excited. They’ve chosen the titles they are most interested in from the 100 Books list—books they haven’t been able to stock here—like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Farenheit 451, and the Life of Pi. Each book is going to have a 100 Books promotional sticker and a description of why the book is a great read. The idea is to add to business by creating another attraction for patrons. 

This is kind of a test case, as is the other 100 Books Cafe being established in the isolated oasis of Siwa this week, some 8 hours across the desert from here.  Will people read the books? Will more books be donated? What are the best lending policies? We will soon know more.