The 41st edition of Cairo International Book Fair will kick off in Nasr City on Jan 21st and continue until Feb 5th with the participation of 765 publishers from 27 countries from around the globe, the head of the General Egyptian Book Organization Nasser Al-Ansari said. The United Kingdom will be the honorary guest of this "important" session. "The fair gains more popularity and weight year after year, as there have been 22 new publishers compared to last year. In addition, Korea is participating for the first time and Russia is having an excellent participation in preparation for being the honorary guest next year," he said.
This year's fair will focus on main aspects such as Egypt and Africa, Jerusalem as the capital of culture, and cultural creativity and new media. It will also celebrate the golden jubilee of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, he said. British Council Director Paul Smith said the council would celebrate this year the 71st anniversary of its presence in Egypt and 75th anniversary of its establishment. The council participates in Cairo Book Fair to foster British culture in Egypt and promote bilateral cultural ties, he added. Smith said that cultural understanding between peoples is a very important issue at this time and the fair is an opportunity for cultural exchange and discussion on various issues, adding that the British program includes events with a group of important writers and publishers, including the publisher of Harry Potter stories.
The Chairman of the General Organization for International Exhibitions & Fairs (GOIEF) Sherif Salem said: "The organization's security committee has held a meeting with the Ministry of Interior to prepare for the fair. The authority is ready to provide all facilities to ensure the success of the fair."
The plan to develop the fair, initiated by the Ministry of Culture three years ago, has made great progress and visitors will see that 80% of the fair has been developed, he said. Cairo Book Fair is the oldest and most important fair in the Arab world and one of the largest book fairs in the world, as it is frequented by more than 1.5 million visitors a day, the manager of Cairo International Book Fair Ahmed Salah said.
