A few days ago, just before the end of the year, a message arrived in our inbox from Mosab Abu Toha — author of Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza (City Lights, April 2022), and founder of the Edward Said Public Library in Gaza. I share that message here, because I hold the view that the Public Library in Gaza deserves wider recognition, and widespread support.
The email was prefaced by a pair of epigraphs that speak to the vision of the Library, and perhaps of libraries everywhere. The first is from Edward Said: "I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result." The second comes from Noam Chomsky: "The project merits strong support from everyone concerned with justice & basic human rights." Hear, hear. If you're moved to support this library project, you can donate here.
Here now is Mosab's message:
Dear friends and supporters,
I hope my letter finds you and your families very well that you are having a good holiday.
I never imagined that The Norton Anthology of American Literature that I found under the rubble of my university in 2014 would bring hundreds of books into my small house in North Gaza. In 2017, I launched a fundraising campaign, and within a few months I opened a public library named after Edward Said in north Gaza, with the Middle East Children's Alliance, aka MECA, as its partner and sponsor.
In September 2019, a second branch of the Edward Said Library opened in Gaza City. Hundreds and hundreds of children and adults come to the library every week to read, sing, draw, learn, and meet with others.
All of this and more could not happen if it wasn’t for donations from supporters like. Gaza needs us all now more than any time before. The two libraries are becoming central to the life and growth of many people in Gaza every single day.
Just last year, a third branch of the Edward Said Library was announced, this time in East Jerusalem. The three libraries do their best to address the increasing numbers of beneficiaries and their needs.
In our small way, the Edward Said libraries care as much as possible for the children and their own library space in it. As part of our evolving counseling and recovering program, we play games with them in the library, while other children draw and play with colors.
Nowadays, the three Edward Said libraries, in addition to their mission of providing books, have expanded their program. They not only work with librarians, but with young writers, musicians, and artists, providing a place for everyone to study and grow, practice their talents, and share them with those who would like to come and visit.
Therefore, I’m inviting you and your families and friends to continue to give the Edward Said libraries a gleaming light in the darkened Gaza.
Of the project, Mariam Said, wife of the late Dr. Edward Said, has written: "I want to express my deep gratitude to all those who contribute to the libraries. I know my husband would be honored that this wonderful project bears his name."
The Edwards Said Public Libraries are sponsored by the Middle East Children's Alliance, to which you can make a secure, 501(c)(3)-compliant, tax-deductible donation online.
