Four Iraqi women have opened the first cultural café in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The initiative aims to encourage young Kurdistani men and women to read and enjoy the different titles provided by the café.
The café features more than 3,500 books in all fields and languages mostly in Arabic, Kurdish and English. The titles, which even include children’s books, have been collected from a number of Arab and Iraqi publishing houses, as well as libraries in Kurdistan.
Author Rafan Al Taei, one of the four young women who co-founded the project, has tried to ensure a calm environment with relaxing colours and drawings which reflect the world of books and reading. The café will establish a division to sell books, as well as organise reading sessions, cultural activities and book signing events.