خُذْ كِتَابًا، وَضَعْ كِتَابًا

مَلَاذُ حُسَيْنْ خُوجَلِي شَابَّةٌ سُودَانِيَّةٌ، عُمْرُهَا عِشْرُونَ سَنَةً. اقْتَرَحَتْ عَلَى أَصْدِقَائِهَا فِكْرَةً لِتَبَادُلِ الْكُتُبِ. وَسَمَّتْ فِكْرَتَهَا: «خُذْ كِتَابًا، وَضَعْ كِتَابًا». وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَضَعَتْ مَلَاذُ نَحْوَ عِشْرِينَ مَكْتَبَةً فِي أَحْيَاءِ الْخَرْطُومِ. وَكَانَتْ كُلُّ مَكْتَبَةٍ صُنْدُوقًا مُلَوَّنًا أَمَامَ بَيْتٍ فِي الْحَيِّ. وَكَانَ فِيهِ كُتُبٌ قَدِيمَةٌ وَجَدِيدَةٌ. لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ حَارِسٌ، وَلَا مِفْتَاحٌ. وَكَانَ مَكْتُوبًا عَلَيْهِ فَقَطْ: «خُذْ كِتَابًا، وَضَعْ كِتَابًا». وَكَانَ مَفْتُوحًا لِلنَّاسِ أَرْبَعًا وَعِشْرِينَ سَاعَةً. وَكَانَتِ الطَّرِيقَةُ بَسِيطَةً: تَخْتَارُ كِتَابًا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقْرَأَهُ، وَتَأْخُذُهُ. ثُمَّ تَضَعُ مَكَانَهُ كِتَابًا آخَرَ. وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ مَجَّانًا. ثُمَّ أَعْجَبَتِ الْفِكْرَةُ شَرِكَةَ اتِّصَالَاتٍ، فَوَضَعَتْ نَحْوَ ثَلَاثٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ مَكْتَبَةً أُخْرَى. وَوَصَلَتِ الْفِكْرَةُ إِلَى وِلَايَاتٍ أُخْرَى فِي السُّودَانِ. وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَطْلُبُونَ مَكْتَبَاتٍ جَدِيدَةً، أَوْ يَتَبَرَّعُونَ بِالْكُتُبِ، عَلَى صَفْحَةٍ فِي «فِيسْبُوكَ». يَقُولُ غَسَّانُ، وَهُوَ قَارِئٌ مِنَ الْخَرْطُومِ، إِنَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْفِكْرَةَ، لِأَنَّهُ بَدَّلَ كُتُبَهُ الْقَدِيمَةَ بِكُتُبٍ لَمْ يَقْرَأْهَا، مَجَّانًا. وَيَقُولُ أَيْضًا إِنَّ الْمَكْتَبَةَ مُفِيدَةٌ، لِأَنَّهَا قَرِيبَةٌ مِنَ الْبُيُوتِ. وَتَقُولُ مَلَاذُ إِنَّ الْمُهِمَّ هُوَ تَبَادُلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ. وَتَقُولُ إِنَّ الْمَشْرُوعَ يُعِيدُ الثِّقَةَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَيْضًا.

Malaz Hussein Khojali is a young Sudanese woman; she is twenty years old. She suggested an idea to her friends for swapping books. She called her idea: “Take a book, leave a book.” After that, Malaz put up about twenty libraries in the neighbourhoods of Khartoum. Each library was a colourful box in front of a house in the neighbourhood. It had old and new books in it. There was no guard on it, and no key. Only this was written on it: “Take a book, leave a book.” And it was open to people twenty-four hours a day. The way it worked was simple: You choose a book you want to read, and take it. Then you put another book in its place. It was free. Then a phone company liked the idea, and put up about thirty-three more. And the idea reached other states in Sudan. People asked for new libraries, or gave books, on a Facebook page. Ghassan, a reader from Khartoum, says he likes the idea, because he swapped his old books for books he hadn’t read, for free. He also says the library is useful,