According to a popular Arabic proverb, books are written in Cairo, published in Beirut and read in Baghdad. If this isn't testimony enough for the traditional love for knowledge and literature among Iraqis, citizens of Mosul organized their first reading festival just a few months after the liberation of the city from its occupation by ISIL.
The occupation of Mosul¡ªIraq's third largest city¡ªby ISIL in June 2014 led to widespread destruction of monuments as well as books and anarchy. The library of Mosul University was razed to the ground, allegedly by ISIL, and nearly all of its 200,000 books had been destroyed by the end of the fighting.
On 6 September 2017, however, the citizens of Mosul came together to organize a reading festival called From the Ashes, the Book was born. Driving forces behind the festival were the anonymous influential blogger Ain al Mosul (Mosul Eye)¡ªwho had been blogging from Mosul right through the ISIL occupation on the conditions in the city¡ªthe administration of Mosul University and some determined city youth.
The reading festival features a unique element insofar as each attendee was asked to bring along one book to donate to the Mosul University library. This reportedly brought in over 6,000 books in one day to reinforce efforts to restock and rebuild the library. (As of May 2017, around 10,000 books were reported to have been donated from all corners of the globe, but much remains to be done to restore the library to its former splendour. A team of volunteers is working tirelessly to salvage damaged books.)
It was heartening to note that even though the city does not yet have full water or electricity and is still undergoing IED clearance, an estimated three to four thousand people participated in the festival.
The reading festival offered proof that civil society in the city has survived the trauma of ISIL occupation and will remain a valuable partner for the United Nations and the international community in the reconstruction of the city. The enthusiastic participation of the city's population underlined their pride in historic Mosul University, which stands as a symbol of the city's renaissance.