Saving London’s Oldest Arabic Bookshop
By the time you read this, Al Saqi, Europe’s largest SWANA bookseller will have official shut its doors. With its closure, hundreds of people flooded to social media to share their thoughts on the recent announcement. Since opening its doors in 1979, it has been a valued pillar of literary and cultural expression for the London Arabic-speaking community — and it truly does feel like a monumental loss to the community. The current owners of Al Saqi, credit its closure to difficulties bought about by Brexit, rise in price of Arabic-language books, and the cost-of-living crisis.
And it’s not just Al Saqi. In the last two decades, independent bookshops have struggled to keep their doors open with the boom of Amazon and other online book retailers. In 2015 a survey conducted by the British Book Association, found Amazon as cause for competition in print books being unbalanced and 64% of them believe that Amazon is the sole cause. To add, the pandemic catalysed the closure of many independent bookshops across the UK — despite crowdfunding efforts. In short, independent booksellers are facing a long-term threat. A quote from The Boar, stating “bookshops cannot survive if all they sell are books” indicates that current and aspiring bookshop owners need to recognise the needs of the community to stay afloat in what seems like a dying souk.
So, what are the community’s needs? And what does this mean for the Arabic-speaking and reading community?
I spoke with award-winning author and activist Heba Hayak and former Al Saqi bookseller and SWANA literary enthusiast Mohammad Masoud on how they plan to combat the threat against independent bookshops with their initiative, Maqam.
Al Saqi was very popular amongst our parents’ generation, with many children of the Arabic-speaking diaspora sharing fond memories of visiting with their parents. The current owners addressed that part of Al Saqi’s decline was a “generational issue”, that the younger generation do not share the same passion or interest as their parents. I asked Heba and Masoud about this “generational issue” and whether they fear it may hinder their success. Masoud, who oversaw the day-to-day runnings of Al Saqi, put it eloquently that “it isn’t so much an issue of disinterest, rather a disconnection”. Many children of the Arabic-speaking diaspora do not possess the fluency to truly enjoy Arabic literature. Heba added that their vision for Maqam goes beyond conventional bookselling, and their goal is to not only sell books but to provide an inclusive space for all genders, sexual orientations, ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. This will include Arabic-language classes, events for SWANA creatives to showcase their works, as well as a coffee shop. Masoud and Heba both reiterated that Maqam will be for everyone and anyone who has an interest in the Arabic language and culture.
The economic issue still stands. Since COVID-19 and other hardships within the Arab-world, booksellers sourcing stock from the SWANA region are facing the sharp increases in Arabic-language book prices, shipping charges and exchange rates.
“The future is digital.”
Maqam will not only have a physical presence but prospective customers will be able to access the shops stock online. They shared that Maqam aspires to digitalise its stock, allowing people to download anything from new releases to rare vintage collections at a fraction of the cost. They hope to sell secondhand books to combat the issue of raising costs, as well as promoting a more sustainable future for Maqam. Masoud added, “I believe I have a nice voice, and I will do a good job at recording audiobooks”, so that’s another thing to look forward to.
Heba and Masoud’s vision is ambitious and now need the community’s help. They will be sharing their campaign on Maqam’s Instagram soon which will share further details on how you can support the initiative.
By Mona Sharif