Save 1 Million Black Books

One of Britain's Largest Collections of Black Books Is Under Threat — Help Us Save It

Our fundraising goal is £75,000, delivered across three phases to reopen the Maa Maat Centre.

This fundraiser has been created by the Black British Book Festival in support of Pepukayi and the Maa Maat Centre. We are working with Pepukayi to help protect and preserve one of Britain's largest collections of Black books. Donations will be managed by the Black British Book Festival and used on Pepukayi's behalf to deliver the three phases of this campaign, as outlined below.

My name is Pepukayi. For more than 50 years, I have dedicated my life to making Black books available to my community.

I started in 1972, when Black books were almost impossible to find in Britain. I became one of the first distributors of Black literature in this country, supplying readers, schools, libraries and community organisations who had nowhere else to turn.

Over half a century later, I have built a collection of more than one million Black books — housed at the Maa Maat Centre on Tottenham High Road, London. Many of these titles are rare, out of print, or extremely difficult to replace.

I am 76 years old. I have been through two major operations. And I am still fighting to keep this vision alive.

But I cannot do it alone.

Years of financial pressure, repeated break-ins, and the worsening condition of the building have left this collection locked away from the very people it was meant to serve. The books are here. But right now, they cannot be properly catalogued, displayed, or made accessible to the public.

That is why I am asking for your help.

How the £75,000 will be used

The £75,000 fundraising goal is divided across three phases to reopen the Maa Maat Centre. We'll share updates throughout the campaign showing how the funds are being used and the progress being made.

Phase 1 — £25,000: Secure the building

After repeated break-ins, the collection itself is at risk.

What success looks like: the collection is safe, and we stop losing books and equipment to break-ins.

Phase 2 — £25,000: Open the doors safely

What success looks like: for the first time in years, people can physically enter and browse.

Phase 3 — £25,000: Catalogue the collection

[Final phase]

What success looks like: the collection becomes findable and accessible, with cataloguing continuing as the space comes fully online.

Donations will be used to deliver the three phases outlined above, with updates shared as each phase progresses.

Why this matters

For over half a century, I have built something rare — over a million Black books, under one roof. Baldwin sits beside Zephaniah. Angelou beside Blackman. Morrison beside Evaristo. Many of these titles took me years to source, and some would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

Without help now, books may be damaged, dispersed, or simply remain locked away and inaccessible for years to come. Fifty years of searching, sourcing and safeguarding Black literature — at risk of never reaching the people it was collected for.

I've given everything I have to make sure that doesn't happen. Now I'm asking you — please, help me finish what I started.

Why now

Last month, this building was broken into again. It's not the first time, and if nothing changes, it won't be the last. Every break-in risks losing books that took decades to source — some of them can never be replaced, no matter how much money we raise afterward.

This isn't a problem that gets easier with time. It gets worse.

And I won't pretend age isn't part of this. I'm 76. I've had two major operations. I don't know how many more years I have to see this collection back in the hands of the people it was always meant for. Every month we delay is a month this knowledge stays locked away — and every year that passes is a year I'm not getting back.

This can't wait for a better time. There isn't one. The time is now.

Every donation brings us one step closer to reopening the doors.

If you can't donate today, please share this campaign — the more people who see it, the sooner these books reach the community they were always meant to serve.

Help us reopen the doors. Help us put one million Black books back into the hands of the community.

Pepukayi, founder of the Maa Maat Centre

Want to help without donating?

If you'd like to volunteer, offer professional skills, introduce media contacts or explore a partnership, please get in touch with us through GoFundMe.