Book Club Venue in Dakar: Meeting at Ge'eza, Point E

For a book club in Dakar, Ge'eza, in Point E, offers a booked table in a quiet setting, Wi-Fi, iced coffees from 3,500 F, Ethiopian tea at 3,000 F and sambusas to snack on during the discussion. Booking becomes essential beyond six people, which matches the usual size of a book club.

A place that suits a long conversation

A book club needs a place where people can talk without raising their voice, and where it is comfortable to stay for over an hour without feeling rushed. Ge'eza's gallery lounge, lined with paintings, or the glass-roofed hall, brighter and airier, both offer that kind of setting, away from the noise of the avenue. Depending on the weather and the time of day, the terrace under the trees is also an option for an outdoor meeting.

Booking the table

For a group of six or more, booking is essential, and beyond eight, a follow-up message on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 lets the team set up the table in advance. The booking page lets you give the number of guests and note, in the field for a message to the team, that you want a quiet spot for a long conversation.

What to order for a reading session

To get through an afternoon or evening of discussion, an iced coffee, Ethiopian, latte, caramel or mocha, from 3,500 F, suits anyone wanting to stay focused without rushing. For something lighter, an Ethiopian tea at 3,000 F or a bissap juice at 2,000 F works well between chapters. To snack on during the discussion, meat sambusas, at 2,000 F for two, or lentil sambusas, at 1,500 F for two, are easy to share without breaking the flow.

Wi-Fi for anyone reading digitally

Ge'eza's cafe corner is also set up for occasional coworking, with Wi-Fi available for club members who read on an e-reader or want to share notes online during the session. Cafe with Wi-Fi in Dakar covers what the house offers for anyone coming with a laptop or a tablet.

A few widely known reading suggestions

For anyone looking for a starting point, several Senegalese authors are well-established reference points. Mariama Bâ published "Une si longue lettre" in 1979, an epistolary novel on the condition of women in Senegal. Cheikh Hamidou Kane published "L'Aventure ambiguë" in 1961, on the meeting between African tradition and a Western education. Birago Diop, whose name also belongs to the avenue where Ge'eza stands in Point E, published "Les Contes d'Amadou Koumba" in 1947. More recently, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr won the Prix Goncourt in 2021. On the Ethiopian side, "The Shadow King" by Maaza Mengiste widens the discussion to East Africa, an angle that fits well with the dialogue between two cultures that the house is built around.

Extending the session with art editions

Beyond the books members bring themselves, Ge'eza's concept store also offers art editions, available on site during the restaurant's hours. For a club that likes to pair reading with images, a stop at the concept store before or after the session adds naturally to the meeting.

Adapting the format to the group's size

A book club might gather three or four people around one table, or grow to a dozen members who meet every month. Either way, the principle stays the same: a booked table, in a quiet corner, for a conversation that takes as long as it needs. For a larger group, beyond six people, it is enough to say so when booking so the team sets up one proper table rather than a cluster of smaller ones pushed together.

Setting a reading pace between members

Choosing the book, the pace of meetings and how the discussion is run stay entirely in the hands of the club itself: some groups pick a book a month ahead, others prefer going around the table with each member presenting a recent read with no set theme. Ge'eza provides the venue and what can be ordered there, without steering the content of the conversation or offering any particular format for this kind of meeting.

Running regular sessions

A book club that meets every month at the same place gains in simplicity: booking ahead for the same day and time saves having to find an available table every time. Letting the team know the preferred rhythm, by WhatsApp, also helps them plan a table in the gallery lounge for a group that comes back regularly.

A setting that changes over time

Because Ge'eza doubles as a gallery, the walls around a reading table do not necessarily stay the same from one season to the next, since the programme evolves over the months. A club that returns regularly may notice different works along the way, which gives each session a slightly different backdrop even when the table, the drinks and the format stay familiar. Members who want details about a particular piece can simply ask the team when they arrive.