Kirjakahvila

In November 1981, inspired by the book café movements in Berlin, Copenhagen and a few cities in the neighbouring Sweden, a group of young left-wing and anarchist student radicals opened their own book café in Turku, Finland. Their desire was to import interesting pamphlets and critical academic literature to Finland and create a grassroots meeting place and a scene for dialogue in Turku. Fed up with the party political climate of the 1970s university and other institutions, they wanted to break free from all factions, including the one’s they had previously adhered to themselves. The physical location of the café has changed a couple of times, and the folks volunteering and keeping the place together many times more, but what stays the same is the desire to provide a local alternative, whatever this might mean in this time and age. Currently it encompasses, for instance, distributing zines and books from small publishers, stirring up conversation and organizing debates on interesting topics, importing coffee directly from Zapatista co-operatives in Chiapas, and being the first, even if no longer the only, 100% vegan café in Finland. Thus, after more than 30 years later, the core ideas and functions remain the same: coffee, books and discussion. Another original idea still strongly at work at the Turku Book Café is the desire to be uncommercial – no fee is required for a glass of water or the use of toilets, and all our events are free of charge. We also serve Suspended Coffees, which we have decided to call 'solidarity coffee' in Finnish. After three decades of varying activities and a few generation changes, the Book Café – or Kirjakahvila in Finnish – remains a not-for-profit co-operative run mainly by volunteers. Today the café resides in the historical centre of the Old Turku, at the Brinkkala courtyard, but the everyday programme is as diverse as the people who currently keep the place running. Within the walls of the Book Café you can participate in reading circles and book club meetings, listen to interesting lectures and (mostly local) bands, party in uncommercial queer clubs, watch documentaries and other films, enjoy monthly exhibitions by aspiring artists – and, of course, organize all these things and so much more yourself! Come join us.