Sami Abd Elbaki
Student, Model, Actor, & Freelancer, Beirut
Sami Abd Elbaki is a student, model, actor, and freelancer living in Beirut, Lebanon. When he was 17, he opened the first bookstore in his hometown of As-Suwayda, Syria that sold and lent books in English. He hopes to leave something good wherever he goes.
Who are you from, where do you live and where do you wanna go?
I am from As-Suwayda, Syria. I live in Beirut, Lebanon. I wanna go a lot of places, settling is not an option in the meantime.
How do like living in Beirut?
It feels like home.
Who are the few people on you roll?
One is Hashem, my closest. And the other is Moon, also a very close friend of mine.
Can you tell us more about your bookstore project?
I started my own bookshop when I was 17 back in Syria. It was the first bookstore in my town that sells books in English. We sold and lent books in Arabic and English, and the place was also available for renting for a couple of hours if you wish to spend some time on your own reading, writing, studying, painting. We had painting materials and canvases as well.
What do you dream for the future?
To leave something good wherever I go. To make people’s lives a bit easier through art, music, and books. To make a change no matter how small, because it can grow.
Your idea of happiness?
Friends, family, and warmth.
Your idea of misery?
Packing, and wars.
If not yourself, who would you be?
A better version of myself. Or a sloth.
Your heroes?
My mom and dad, and all those fighting for a better tomorrow.
A city?
Beirut.
What are your plans for this weekend?
A lot of sleeping and celebrating birthdays.
A song?
Habibi - Tamino
Right or left handed?
Right handed
What is the best dish you can cook?
Alfredo chicken.
What is your middle name?
I don’t have one. It’s not a thing here.
What do you do in your free time?
Writing, sketching, reading, hanging out.
What inspires you?
People and their stories mostly.
What do you do for money?
I write articles, model, and act.
What do you do for pleasure?
Long walks, chilling with friends, and doing nothing on lazy days is also pleasure.
What is your present state of mind?
Stressed but acting calm.
Bedside table books?
Le Petit Prince, The Bell Jar, and The Selfish Gene.
What do you do if you can’t sleep at night?
I wait. Or write.
Do you collect?
Tickets of plays, movies, museums.
Tea or coffee?
Both.
What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?
That everything was actually in black and white then the world evolved into color.
A color?
Beige.
