Great Celebration of Naguib Mahfouz at the Opening of the Cairo International Book Fair

SadaNews - The 57th Cairo International Book Fair opened its doors to the public today at the Exhibition Grounds in the Fifth Settlement in New Cairo, amidst a strong participation from a large number of Arab and Egyptian intellectuals and writers.

This edition is the largest in the history of the fair in terms of the size of participation and diversity of activities, with 1,457 publishing houses from 83 countries participating, totaling 6,637 exhibitors.

This year's edition adopted the slogan from the late global author Naguib Mahfouz's quote, "He who stops reading for an hour is delayed for centuries," and his name was chosen as the character of the Cairo International Book Fair, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of his passing, in appreciation of his unique contributions to enriching Arabic and global literature.

The global writer Naguib Mahfouz will be honored through a complete art exhibition of his works, and the artist Mohieddin Labad has been selected as the character of the Children's Book Fair.

Guests and Activities

This year's fair features more than 600 events, with the cultural and intellectual program alone consisting of 400 activities, in addition to 100 book signing events and 120 artistic activities.

This edition witnesses the participation of a selection of Arab and international poets, thinkers, and writers, including: Adonis, Shawqi Bazih, Hassan Najmi, Ibrahim Nasrallah, Wassini Al-Araj, Anam Kageji, Moroccan critic Said Yaqtin, and Saudi critic Mu’jab Al-Adwani, along with a large number of academics.

The fair also includes an important professional program featuring the president of the International Publishers Association and the secretary-general of the International Publishers Association.

The number of Arab and foreign guests, including prominent writers and intellectuals, exceeds 170, in addition to more than 1,500 intellectuals and creators. The activities are distributed across many exhibition halls, and for the first time, the conference hall will host 10 conferences in what is called the one-day conference, with one of the most prominent being the "Africa: Challenges and Transformations" conference.

Culture Minister Dr. Ahmed Hano announced that Romania is this year's guest of honor at the fair, and he expressed pride in hosting Qatar as the guest of honor in the fair's 2027 edition, as part of the Egyptian-Qatari cultural year activities.

Hundreds of Participants

Mohamed Rashad, the head of the Arab Publishers Union, stated, "This edition comes amid crises facing the Arab homeland, which has led to the spread of division, and all of this has affected the Arab publisher who works under these conditions. This year’s fair serves as a relief for publishers, as evidenced by the keen participation of Arab publishers, with 1,457 publishing houses from Egypt, Arab, and global participation."

He added, "The Cairo International Book Fair is the most popular in the Arab world in terms of visitor numbers, noting that the number of visitors in the 56th edition exceeded 5 million, in addition to being the longest in terms of duration, spanning 13 days."

He explained that the Arab Publishers Union participates as a key partner in preparation and organization, represented in the high administrative committee of the fair, in addition to the benefits the fair provides to its members, the most notable being preferential prices, which makes it stand out from other Arab fairs.

Rashad pointed out that the number of participating countries has increased to 83, yet some houses could not participate due to unavailability of space for them.

Dr. Ahmed Mujahid, the executive director of the Cairo International Book Fair, stated that a comprehensive program has been organized to celebrate the great writer Naguib Mahfouz, which includes intellectual seminars, cinematic screenings, and artistic activities, including the exhibition "Naguib Mahfouz Through the Eyes of the World", featuring 40 artworks by artists from various countries, in collaboration with the Egyptian Cartoon Association.

In response to a question about some publishing houses being prevented from participating in the fair, Farid Zahraan, head of the Egyptian Publishers Union, called for all publishing houses to participate in the book fair without exception and for more support in favor of freedom of opinion and expression, commending the ministry's efforts to reduce booth rents inside the book fair.

The Cairo International Book Fair is considered one of the oldest and largest book fairs in the Arab world, having launched its first edition in 1969. Over the decades, it has transformed into a major platform for the publishing industry and an annual gathering for writers, thinkers, and publishers from Egypt and different countries around the world, in addition to being a widely influential public event in the movement of reading and culture.

Source: الجزيرة