Refugees in the Kurdish Syrian city of Afrin can now enjoy reading at a new library that was set up at the al-Asr camp for the displaced. The refugees, most notably children, have turned to the library to escape boredom and their sense of isolation.
The 100 meter squared library boasts some 2,000 books that are mostly in Arabic and Kurdish. They include literary works, such as novels, short stories and plays. They also include arts and crafts books, as well as Arabic-English dictionaries and grammar and math textbooks.
Hayat Mohammed, 15, escaped her hometown of Afrin with her family in March 2018 when the Turkish military carried out an offensive against Kurdish forces in the border area. She started going to the school that was set up at the al-Asr camp and heads to the library as soon as classes are over.
She spoke of her fondness for reading short stories.
“Most of my friends come here. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher to educate students who were forced to quit their schools like we did,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The library is the brainchild of intellectuals in Afrin and volunteers who sought to offer the refugees something to do in their spare time.
Literary critic Oussama Ahmed explained that the challenge first lied in finding books. Residents of the al-Shahba region donated books to support the project.
The library was set up about a year ago, he said. Several activities have since been organized there, including writing workshops and reading sessions.
Volunteer Fidan Ahmed revealed that the library had even organized a writing competition to discover young literary talents.
Tour Rudy Rashid, 17, discovered his passion for drawing after he read about art in the library’s books. Encouraged by the staff, he has drawn more than 100 book covers and his art will later be put on display at an exhibit.
Another volunteer revealed that some 500 to 600 books are borrowed from the library each week.
