Monday, March 9, 2009

SALAMANDER CAFE: Abuja' Literary Cafe











Whenever you find yourself in the nation’s capital and needs a place to feed the stomach and the brain at the same time, Salamander Café will probably top the list of options that will be made available to you.

Established 6th June 2007 as a café cum restaurant. According to the proprietress, Mrs. Sal Gbajabiamila, the primary idea was to sell coffee “You know the economic climate in Nigeria will not allow you to rent a place and sell just coffee. You may not make any money at all so we decided to add food service and now we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at any time of the day you want” she said.

The beautiful thing about Salamander Café is that it did not just end at selling coffee and food for the stomach but foods for the brain with the services of a bookstore, which has in stock some of the best and current titles. As further explained by Mrs. Sal, the idea is for you to come eat, wine and probably be tempted to buy one or two books. The internet café with a 2 wifi enabled HP laptops offers a complimentary service to customers who may want to check their mails or surf the World Wide Web for information.

Situated on Aminu Kano Crescent of the serene Wuse II area of Abuja, Salamander Café also offers its facilities for independent arts exhibitions, lunch meet, and a weekly film show and discussion forum known as Sunday Salon where films are screened and then discussed.

This social enterprise which only recently opened a second branch at the National Assembly provides a relaxed ambience for Nigerians and foreigners to unwind when necessary has played host to several book reading and signing sessions, book presentations and creative gathering. “The atmosphere is comfortable and that has impacted on patronage a lot. I think the people love the idea” affirms Mrs. Gbajabiamila.

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