Since she was young, Wafaa Ghuaz has been obsessed reading and acquiring books and she has suffered from a serious lack of libraries and reading clubs in her hometown of Zuwarah. So she got together a group of young people in her city and established Zuwarah Book Club, the first of its kind.
“Books are a window through which I can view the world,” says Ghuaz. “Initially, I practiced my hobby via the Internet only since there are no places dedicated to reading and dialogue.”
Ghuaz first came up with the idea after seeing the American film Jane Austen Book Club.
Since she was young, Wafaa Ghuaz has been obsessed reading and acquiring books and she has suffered from a serious lack of libraries and reading clubs in her hometown of Zuwarah. So she got together a group of young people in her city and established Zuwarah Book Club, the first of its kind.
“Books are a window through which I can view the world,” says Ghuaz. “Initially, I practiced my hobby via the Internet only since there are no places dedicated to reading and dialogue.”
Ghuaz first came up with the idea after seeing the American film Jane Austen Book Club.
A shared dream
When Wafaa announced her desire to establish a club, she found that others had shared the idea. “Each of us had a different perception of the club, so we agreed to hold a meeting to discuss implementation options,” says Hannibal Nanis, a 30-year-old founding member.
The first meeting was held on March 13, 2014 and chose the first book to be read and discussed it the following week. Since then, they have met regularly, except when the city was bombed by the Operation Dignity airplanes.
Different segments
Despite the war, a reading session is held at five o’clock every Thursday at Zuwarah Book Club, which is now the go-to destination of book lovers throughout the city.
The club is open to all ages, says the club deputy head Mohammad Abzeh, 19, though the most active members are the youth. “The distinctive aspect is that the club is attended by different age groups up to 50 – 60 years, with whom we discuss issues. This is of one of our most important goals, in addition to promoting a culture of reading.”
Every week, a set of titles are scheduled for a vote: the book of the week. Then, members meet to discuss the book that all participants have read. The session is moderated by the member who proposes the book title. Due to the lack of libraries and books in the city, it is required that the proposed book is available electronically and can be downloaded from the Internet.
High attendance
The club membership is free and open to all but requires the attendance of at least three sessions, filling out a membership form and compliance with the club’s bylaws, explains Abzeh.
The founders agreed that the first few months would be a trial period to monitor attendance levels, but the club’s popularity surprisingly exceeded their expectations. “In some sessions, more than 45 people attend, and the average number is about 15 people,” says Abzeh.
Since the club’s founding, more than 70 books of various genres have been discussed, according to Nanis, in addition to the topics or issues raised for consideration, including important documentaries and articles. “For example, the World War was discussed not as a book but a theme,” says Hannibal Nanis.
Children’s club
“After the success and popularity of the club, a colleague proposed a children’s club with the same objectives of targeting children to instill a culture of reading early on,” says Fadwa Dahan, a club member.
According to Dahan, the Children’s Club was founded as a pilot project. It targets different age groups over 5 years. Participants were divided into two age categories. However, due the lack of children’s books in the city as well as the children’s inability to access the Internet, the Children’s Club has temporarily been suspended.
Cultural diversity
Today, two years after its foundation, the club has become a cultural institution. Members now aim not only to read but to share their knowledge as well. “French, English and Amazigh languages courses have been held for both members and non-members, which had great attendance and success, in addition to some discussion sessions in English,” says Hannibal Nanis.
In spite of poor financial resources, says Ghuaz, the members’ activism and enthusiasm have made the Club visible in various events and forums in Zuwarah, such as War Children Rehabilitation Campaign, Cultural Diversity Festival and others”.
“We plan to launch awareness campaigns to promote reading culture among school students. We hope to have a special and large library and to increase the club sessions and members, besides other dreams we hope achieve in the future,” Abzeh says.
