Nasawiya Cafe

The Nasawiya Café is now open

The Nasawiya Café is a non-profit, smoke-free, volunteer-run activist space now officially open in Beirut!

What is it?

In January, we moved Nasawiya out of an office and into a beautiful new location on the ground level in one of Mar Mikhael’s burgeoning neighborhoods. We fixed the space up by raising funds from events and donations from our members. Today, we are very happy to finally open it up as a common space for our members, friends, the activist & artist communities, and everyone interested in social change.

The Café is now open daily from 10am – 10pm and offers home-cooked meals, coffee and drinks, a fast internet connection, a terrific library, and great company.

Where does the money go?

The Café is completely non-profit and all money raised goes to financing important social justice initiatives in and around Nasawiya. There are no fixed prices; we accept contributions in return for food and drinks on a sliding scale. Whatever you can afford is welcome. Every lira you spend goes back to our community projects. We believe strongly in mobilizing resources locally for social justice and plan to have all of Nasawiya’s work 100% funded by the members and the Café by the end of 2013.

How can I use it?

The space is also available for using – especially for activists and artists – and can host meetings, film screenings, events, photography exhibits, book signings, parties, fundraisers, performances, and whatever creative idea you have. We have no set rental fees and also accept contributions on a sliding scale.

Our aim is to provide an affordable and friendly space in Beirut to advance our causes and campaigns.

We also welcome all activist posters, flyers, magazines, brochures, whatever you’d like to display or sell.

Check out this terrific video report by Reuters about the space.