Mainland Book Cafe (often referred to as MBC) is a Lagos-based community of readers, writers, and art enthusiasts. The book club founded in 2014 by Ayomidotun Fadeyi seeks to promote reading culture in Nigeria and celebrate homegrown writers and artists while also paying attention to the international literary scene. Mainland Book Cafe promote the reading of contemporary African writing, organise literary events and create a physical and intellectual spaces for creative interactions and conversations.
Mainland Book Cafe believes in the power of people. This is why the core of the establishment is focused on bringing arts and literature lovers, also writers and readers together under one roof, to solve problems in the society using books as a medium of change and a tool for recording history.
Background
The book club was established in 2014 by Ayomidotun Fadeyi. It was initially called Mainland Book Club, and the first book event was held at Seven Eagles Spurs Restaurant in Ikeja, Lagos.
The literary community is fast becoming one of the leading voices in the literature scene owing to its monthly meetups held every last Sunday of the month and the lending of its voice to positive and relevant conversations in its industry.
In 2017, Mainland Book Cafe was nominated as the Book Club of the Year at the inaugural edition of GARARA (Grill & Read Annual Readers’ Awards) as a result of this.