STORY: Egyptian taxi driver turns cab into mobile library to encourage reading
SHOOTING DATE: June 29, 2024
DATELINE: July 3, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:06
LOCATION: ALEXANDRIA, Egypt
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the library
2. various of Azzam's library and taxi
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED AZZAM, Taxi driver
4. various of people reading books at Azzam's mobile taxi library
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MAHMOUD ABDO, High school student

STORYLINE:

On a street in northern Egypt's coastal governorate of Alexandria, several passers-by were checking a variety of books placed on a taxi. The taxi driver, Mohammed Azzam, has turned his cab into a mobile library three or four days a week to encourage people to read.
   
"I have loved reading since childhood, that is one of the reasons why I decided to launch a mobile taxi library initiative," 42-year-old Azzam told Xinhua, satisfied to see pedestrians being interested in his books.
   
Azzam provided people with books during his non-working time, allowing them to read for up to three hours each time.
   
Putting forward the initiative three years ago, the taxi driver has now become widely known in Alexandria.
   
He then opened a small library on the street for bookworms, where he also sold books such as school textbooks and stationery to help fund his taxi library initiative.
   
The middle-aged man cited the main reason for launching the initiative as people's reluctance to read after the spread of the Internet and social networks.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED AZZAM, Taxi driver
"I started this initiative three years ago after noticing the feeling of alienation among people due to their constant preoccupation with social media. It became their main source of information and led them to turn away from reading, which negatively affected them."
   
Mahmoud Abdo, a high schooler who also visited the mobile library, said such an initiative "will certainly attract more people and encourage them to read."
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MAHMOUD ABDO, High school student
"The idea of the initiative is very good and useful because it encourages people to read and helps increase cultural awareness among them."
   
Azzam said he wishes to promote the initiative by opening more small libraries inside Alexandria and inviting others to join him.
   
"I also hope that similar initiatives will be launched across the country, mainly in remote areas," Azzam told Xinhua.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Alexandria, Egypt.
(XHTV)