Hana : The Audacity to Be Free

'I am every woman and every woman's quest to be free.'

Hana Assafiri is a much loved and revered social activist and radical entrepreneur. Through the medium of food and dining in her now-renowned Moroccan Soup Bar, Hana has worked tirelessly to rectify the systemic and social barriers to women's empowerment.

Hana's memoir follows her childhood between Lebanon and Australia, her forced arranged marriage, her numerous attempts to escape, and her ensuing career in women's services. In 1998, she opened the Moroccan Soup Bar, which would quickly become an iconic Melbourne institution-founded on the radical notion that marginalised women, together in the kitchen, can effect social change.

Every evening at the Moroccan Soup Bar, Hana would 'tap a glass' and deliver a monologue to provoke thought and initiate conversation on important topics. (Hana writes in the book that 'the food is free-you pay for the conversation'!) This 'glass tapping' serves as a framing device throughout the book, giving readers pause between chapters to reflect on important issues such as truth-telling, violence against women, and Islamophobia.

Hana's reputation has flourished as an entrepreneur, feminist, and social activist. Her memoir is a call to arms, inviting readers to join her mission of empowerment, inspiration and progress. Hana serves as a testament to women's capacity to redefine their own freedom; and in doing so, shape a world where all of us can truly flourish and thrive.