The One Piece Book Club - by Maktaba Books and CAPE

Join us for the 4th session of our deep dive into the popular manga by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece!

Whether you’ve always been curious about the story, read only a few pages, or are a longtime fan, we welcome you to discuss the manga’s themes, especially why it’s significant in the global south.
SESSION 4: Joy & Irreverence

🗓️ Date: 16 Aug 2026, Sunday
🕰️ Time: 10am
📍 Venue: The Arts and Civil Space

Questions we’ll discuss include:

• What makes joy politically radical rather than just personally comforting?
• Who benefits when we’re told to be “serious”/“respectful” in the face of power?
• When does irreverence become a political act, rather than mere rudeness?
• How does joy build community and endurance?
• What is the difference between hope that motivates action and hope that keeps us passive?
• How does Luffy’s refusal to treat power as sacred expose the fragility of authority?
• How do joy and irreverence lead us to imagine and fight for better possibilities?

For the One Piece nerds, think of elements across the whole story: Luffy punching Charles, Garp's irreverence toward the Celestial Dragons, the Straw Hats' general shenanigans, Laugh Tale, Drums of Liberation, Joyboy.