Issue 003: Cover Story With Que the Wolf

“When you're in communities, you get to see first-hand what's needed. And you also get to see first-hand how to help, I think that makes all the difference.”

An influential figure in event production and community building, social entrepreneur Kuuku ‘Que The Wolf’ Quakyi has made impactful strides in promoting literacy and a love for reading. Que has dedicated efforts to champion diverse voices in literature, namely through establishment of the popular Dopereaders platform. Originally launched as an Instagram page to share personal reading recommendations, the initiative has evolved into a movement that places bookcases in hospitals, railway stations, and co-working spaces across London. A board member of Peckham Festival and collaborating with some of the largest publishing houses, including Penguin, Harper Collins, and Bloomsbury, Dopereaders has partnered to deliver innovative literacy projects and distribute books to underserved communities.

What makes Que’s journey particularly remarkable is their personal transformation - from someone who somewhat avoided reading to running a platform borne from passion with the sole aim of advocating literacy. An encounter with literature that resonated with Que’s cultural background sparked a revelation to ensure others have access to stories that reflect their identities, inspiring them to really engage with reading, but also create opportunities for emerging, diverse writers. Que’s innovative approach to championing literacy elevates stories from underrepresented communities, helping to shine a spotlight they rightfully deserve. So it feels very fitting that Que has received an award as one of BBC 1Xtra’s Future Figures for 2024.

Here’s what he had to share with BLK Brit on the powerful statement the literacy movement makes in our community-

My background is in music, not that I make music, but through promoting and producing live music events just here and there. Forming Dopereaders in 2020 during Covid and lockdown, was a point in time when everyone decided to share their hobbies online. I love reading, I love storytelling, so I started the page initially just out of conversation with people to talk about books. Connecting people over experiences with books to me is so dope; that was like the core roots of Dopereaders and along the way has become more niche.

How has your work connecting communities through events influenced your social entrepreneurship?

I like that question. You know what- when you're in communities, you get to see first-hand what's needed. And you also get to see first-hand how to help, I think that makes all the difference. That's the reason Dopereaders went into a work frame, because I was in the community and I could see what's necessary, even if I can just help a certain section of it. A lot of my earlier work has always been based around how I can help improve something. Funny enough it wasn't until I looked into actually setting up Dopereaders that I actually looked into the term ‘social impact’ and I was like, this is pretty dope 'cause I've been doing this respectively for a very long time, I just didn’t know what the name of it was, per se. It gives you a whole new power knowing that there's a word for what you're trying to do and I can explain it to people more easily. I know the one thing that pushed me the most was I've always felt if I had someone, a mentor like me, I'd be waygone. So it’s about providing that to the next generation, I observed the switch- we had the ideas and they had the power but we're getting older, I've got greys in my beard now! (laughs).

Stop it! (laughs) It doesn't matter, what keeps you young is doing things that keeps you engaged, keeps the conversation going. Older generations can learn from younger generations and improve on things they're doing, it's all about mutual exchange. So, what challenges have you faced promoting diversity in publishing and how do you see the landscape changing?

Because Dopereaders main thing is about promoting literacy and Black authors, one of the main issues you become aware of are how much some of these publishers are really able to pay, the level of work that they want and the level of belief they have in their Black authors- how much they are willing to invest it's a bit telling. Then on the other side of that, we've interacted with a lot of executives that work within publishing, I can only echo what they have given to me in the sense of Black and diverse authors not being allocated the same sort of budgets, promotional resources, or the same sort of materials, and not being pushed as far as some of the other authors. I'm only about 5 years in the publishing industry, so I'm looking at it from fresh eyes, but I can only speak for what I've seen and our organisation; that's why we are here. Hopefully it will change because the books I have seen, they’re selling numbers, people are reading. Be it because of TikTok, be it because of Instagram, or because people are just realising that books are cool. People are reading, man.

Definitely! Post 2020 people started picking up hobbies again because they didn't have the social distractions of going out, so it was a collective reassessment, taking stock of things they might have neglected or not previously had the time to engage with or be exposed to, and has had an upward surge since then. So, what are some of your favourite moments or collaborations through Dopereaders?

One of my favourite moments was working with Penguin Poetry Department. There is an anthology by a poet called Wanda Coleman, sadly she passed away a while ago, but this particular anthology wasn't allowed in the UK due to it being ‘radical’. So they re-released it and it was allowed in the UK. Another organisation Poetic Unity based in South London, Brixton, is run by Ryan known as Ragz-CV, he's been doing amazing work in the poetry community for so long, we partnered with them. They gave us 6 - 8 young poets, sent them a copy of the book and then we came together, we discussed it. The actual anthology was put together by another poet in the States, Terrance Hayes, we were able to get him on FaceTime and he sat with the young poets to guide them on creating their own sonnets. The whole project was recorded and put on the Penguin YouTube so it serves as a workshop on how to write sonnets with these young people. One of the young poets got paid to read, crazy cool. And lifelong partnerships between the organisations; up till now we still get poetry books from Penguin for the young people, which is awesome. We also did a really cool competition, one march called Letter to a Woman and we had like over 100 people writing to a woman that inspired them and a group of judges picked the best one and gave them a hamper, cash prize.

Those are some brilliant experiences. Going into your background, you were diagnosed with dyslexia; how has that shaped your relationship with reading? You did mention post studies after the compulsory reading were like meh, what called you back into it?

I was diagnosed as dyslexic young, like we're talking I want to say primary school days. Being told I had dyslexia made me not want to read, that's like a big part because I felt it was harder to read. So again, once I'm done with compulsory reading, it's like, I don't want to read no more.I think it was, after college or during uni, a friend of mine made me read Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses. I didn't grow up in the UK, my teenage years were spent in West Africa, so I didn't read that during school. Everyone who read it in school was like, ‘Yeah, it's so sick.’ But I read it for the first time like, I want to say in my twenties. After reading it I was like yes, this is really the book that I've been missing out on. Everything about the story, this is cold!

It just put me back into reading in general.There's a certain feeling I had with reading and being able to read that book to completion and understand it, so it felt just felt dope to read, because I've really wanted to read this book versus books I didn't really want to read, they didn't really resonate. Though I still have moments where I'm looking at a page and I still can't fully focus, versus moments where I'm fully locked in.

That's why platforms like yours are so important, because a lot of people disconnect from reading when they don’t resonate with the literature that they have been exposed to, not necessarily culturally, just something you find a connection with. Let’s talk about your connection to music-

I've never been a musician myself, but I always just loved the sound of music, just everything about it. Early on I recall I started running events in the college. My talent lies with people and building communities. I can't explain how it's done, the intricacies of it. What I can say is I like to get people together in a space, in the room to do whatever, that's the skill. Coming into music was just me being a social person, loving listening to music and being able to bring people together. As time goes on and I've built some of these other entities up; me and my sister developed Acoustic Live UK. We had our peak from like 2013, we ran for about 7 or 8 years, ran music in BoxPark Shoreditch alongside like Wembley and Croydon, all over. We had pop-up events all over the gaff as well during this time, just because artists were picking up and people were noticing what we're doing and revealed as these like music executives who can help to pioneer and tell stories in the music industry, orchestrating events and being able to puppet master the whole situation. Every artist who we’ve ever put on stage, it's been an artist that I can tell you majority of their songs 'cause I've listened to them and they've left a lasting feeling or effect on me that I’ve been like yes, this needs to go out to the wider community.

It's a natural link, youth should understand that if you can recite lyrics you’re closer to reading as it segues into the storytelling and literacy-

Yes! 100%

What do you feel makes you able to forge great partnerships and connections?

I could just be super likeable (both laugh). That's one. But on a serious note, it’s the way I approach things. I've always approached things in a very ‘we are a collective’ way- my visions always span bigger than me. I've never ever had an idea that starts with me and ends with me, every idea that started as me ended with the community. I mean, I'm not building these things for me after it's all said and done, I'm trying to build something that once we're done, once I'm out of the way, they're still going to be things that can still work to the benefit of the community. Dopereaders are out there that can help anyone at any stage of their reading, so numerous reading lists.

It’s making the statement that this needs to be ongoing, not just a flash in the pan moment but a staple. It's important for the sustainability of the community to be continuous. It’s great that you bring these online communities into physical spaces within this digital age. It creates a deeper level of connection and understanding between people. How important do you feel books from Africa and diaspora authors are as a foundation in creating a sense of identity in readers?

This is a good one; the whole ethos of Dopereaders is to put a spotlight on some of these authors, some of these books. The importance of identity, especially for young people in the UK itself, is being able to see and understand that the culture isn't just a side-culture, it isn't something to be shunned or frowned on if it’s not mainstream.

When I grew up, being African wasn't cool, up until up until Flavour dropped like a couple Afrobeats here and there. Even with books, I feel like I remember seeing maybe a bit more of the Caribbean culture. Most of the books you read in school, all of them are mainly white characters and whatnot, so you didn't really see or feel yourself in any of these books. One question I'll actually go to these workshops with is; when was the last time you read the word plantain in a book? It's a crazy question, because people can't really answer. So with that said, how do we even feel proud about ourselves, you know what I mean? Even down to names, I've read a lot of African books recently, with names you don't see everyday but I've got friends with these names and they are like, yo, I felt seen in this book, there are people writing about us and our stories. I can't read Patois but I've seen people's faces light up when they read something about their home. They really get into it. I don't think people even know how happy they feel when they see something that they've personally lived. But the point of seeing yourself in literature is just about representation; I mean you would probably want to read more if you read more books with you inside- about your food, your stories, your culture.

I definitely know how it is growing up. One of my favourite books I read as a youth that enticed me into our literature the most was Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart.

That's a classic in Africa. Why is it not a classic in the UK?

Black authors and platforms such as Dopereaders are so important, because it could be your platform that introduces, or hold an event which could introduce that spark to those who will become future thought leaders, or spark someone's creativity; that domino effect. What would be an amazing collaboration that you would aspire to have through the business?

We caught wind of Diane Abbott's memoir a few years back. I remember talking to the team and I was like, yo, you know what would be really sick- if we could get a bookcase of just Black books in the Houses of Parliament, just a full on bookcase, literally switch up the whole reading list, maybe for the whole month of October. Penguin started doing- have you seen the book vending machines? They’re the sickest things! I want one of them with our branding on it, drop it in the Houses of Parliament and just put tons of Black stories in there. That would be very dope, I had that idea a while ago.

I would love to see that come to fruition. Last question for you- what do you believe is the most important statement Black authors are making in contemporary literature?

The first thing that came to my mind was just the fact that our stories are good, incredible. Wherever they come from, be it from trauma, from wherever, we write good stories. One of my favourite books is Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler. And Kelechi Okafor’s book Edge of Here. That's the statement.

I feel like that's a statement in and of itself, it doesn't need to be any more than just that.

INTERVIEW: Charlene Haylette - @charlenes_media
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Raissa Coulibaly - @therealraissa
ART DIRECTOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER: Tobi Sobowale - @shobo_photography
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Charlene Haylette - @charlenes_media
SET DESIGNER: Vanessa Koranteng - @brantuostudio
STYLIST: Tele Awo - @teleolaaa
HAIRSTYLIST: Jamique Webb - @jaamique
MUA: Mia Bolaji - @flawlesstouchbymia