Takarda is a book club and reading community rooted in Northern Nigeria — bringing together the region's oral past, its present-day readers, and the libraries we're building for the next generation.
Some northern Nigerian states report literacy rates below 10%, against a national average above 70%. — UNESCO / national education data
takarda (n.) — Hausa for "paper"
Every month, we gather to read, argue gently about endings, and trade the books that shaped us. Every book we finish moves on — to a neighbour, a cousin, a village library — so nothing we read stays still for long.
Takarda was built around a simple structure that everything we do sits in one of three places on the timeline.
The griots, the Ajami manuscripts, the folktales told over pounded millet — we read northern and West African classics alongside oral histories collected from elders in our own community, so the archive stays alive rather than sealed in a shelf.
Monthly meetups, rotating between homes, courtyards and the occasional bookshop. We read contemporary Nigerian and African fiction, hold open-mic reading nights, and keep a running, arguable list of what's worth your evening.
Through the Takarda Eco-Reading Project, every book we circulate funds a reading corner or a tree planted in its honour — building the libraries and the shade the next generation of readers will sit under.
See the project →Takarda is not a headline about literacy, it's the neighbour who never finished secondary school borrowing a novel from a cousin, then asking for the next one. We're just building the shelf between them.
— Hauwa Rabiu, Comms
A running scrapbook of meet-ups, book swaps and reading-corner builds. Scroll sideways to look through it.
Takarda started as two friends trading ideas about book and impacting communities. It's since grown into a standing monthly club and a small team keeping the paperwork — and the storytelling — moving.
Founder
I started the reading community because books have always been one of the ways I understand people, through their stories and ideas, it made me understand the world around me beyond life experiences. I wanted to have a space where people could come together share those ideas and their perceptions of the books they read. The aim was to have honest conversation and promote reading cultures among peers who love books..
Co-Founder
I am a passionate reader and tech enthusiast. My journey into reading started with E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, and I have been hooked ever since. At Takarda, I helps turn ideas into digital experiences while championing the simple joy of reading.
Strategic Communications Lead
I lead Takarda’s communication, public voice, and community engagement, ensuring our message stays clear, consistent, and impactful. I'm passionate about people, a curator and a writer.
The conversation happens on WhatsApp — meet-up reminders, book picks, and first word when a new reading corner opens. Tap below to join.
Join our WhatsApp communityPrefer email? Get the monthly reading list instead.
Takarda means paper — and paper starts as a tree. For every reading corner we open, we plant trees in the same community, so the villages lending us their afternoons get shade and timber back in return. Your donation funds books, shelving, and seedlings in one line item.
Support the Eco-Reading Project
