What is a Human Library?
Have you ever heard or come across this word. I was quite curious to know what is " Human Library" is all about. This organisation uses a library analogy of lending people rather than books. The concept might be new here but the first Human Library is an international organisation and movement that first started in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2000. It aims to address people's prejudices by helping them to talk to those they would not normally meet. These people have experienced social exclusion or stigma and participants can ask them questions to learn about the other person and also challenge their prejudices. The concept is similar to that of a traditional library. If books are read and discussed or shared among like-minded readers.
Human Library has people engaging in conversations and sharing stories on a one on one basis. The Organization is active in over 80 countries, in which there are a few permanent Human Libraries but most happen as events. They say it was inspired by the "American Stop the Violence Movement". The first event ran four days with eight hours of conversations each day and more than 1000 people took part. The next Human Library was hosted in Oslo, Norway.
The first Human Library in India was set up in Indore and began to work. The main goal of this event-based programme is to help people, appreciate others differences, understand social barriers by listening and relating to their experiences. In this organisation, anyone can be a resource or a living book with a unique story to tell. Here living books are people who have been victimised due to race, sex, age, disability, class, religion/belief, lifestyle choices or other aspects of who they are. Here people who visit borrow these living books, have a conversation with them and leave with a widened perspective on different social groups in our society.
After knowing about this " Human Library" I felt it isn't just a book you read without thinking. The dialogues heard here will leave you with a strong impression on our minds. It is a place where you share a true story in a safe place. Here people get to share their stories for 20-30 minutes with five to six readers at a time. After a quiet time, the listener gets to come back and ask questions. Everyone remains anonymous - the book and the reader for expected reasons. Since many of the topics are taboo in Indian society.
India has nine Human libraries across the country. Here are people who have a story to tell that could help to dispel assumptions or foster understanding. It's a few hours of your time you will never forget. It just takes a bit of courage and a willingness to tell your story. As nowadays people are more occupied in their world, people are getting deprived of expressing their emotions. After knowing his concept I felt it's an extremely ultramodern phenomenon. But later understood the hard facts of the current scenario. This is required for a few classes of people who want to be heard and answered. This is what is needed to express our emotions.
Human Library is a nice way to let people talk, vent, emote without being judged. Here books are asked to be honest, and readers are asked to be non-judgemental. An innovative, brilliant project is active in 50 countries. Lastly, you will realise how much you shouldn't " judge a book by its cover".