For over half a century, Pepukayi has dedicated himself to making rare and out of print Black books available to his community in and around Tottenham.
Now, the 76-year-old has reached out with an emotional plea to help him save the one-million-strong collection he has amassed at the Maa Maat Centre on Tottenham High Road.
Explains Pepukayi: "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."
In July, the building was broken into, something that has happened before, and may well happen again without the right improvements made. "Every break-in risks losing books that took decades to source," says Pepukayi, "some of them can never be replaced."
View this post on Instagram
With help from the Black British Book Festival, and founder/author Selina Brown (who also interviews Pepukayi in the video above), a GoFundMe has been established to raise money to secure the building, reopen it and catalogue the collection.
"Without help now," says Pepukayi, "books may be damaged, dispersed or simply remain locked away and inaccessible for years to come. 50 years of searching, sourcing and safeguarding Black literature — at risk of never reaching the people it was collected for."
The GoFundMe is off to a healthy start, heading well towards the initial £50k requested. Give it a visit to find out more and to donate.
