The General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO) will hold a book m fair during Ramadan on Faisal Street in Cairo. The announcement has raised controversy among publishers. While some support the idea to compensate the losses of canceling the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) last January, others object the timing of holding the fair in Ramadan. Some publishers told Youm7 that Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, is not an appropriate month for holding a book fair because it is dedicated to worship. Others refused to hold the fair in Faisal St, because it is a crowded place with rare interest in buying books. Mohamed Rashad, the president of Publishers Union (PU) and owner of the Egyptian Lebanese publishing house, said an agreement has been reached with GEBO to hold the fair in Faisal neighborhood next Ramadan. The details will be discussed with Ahmed Megahed, GEBO's president, in the meeting of PU board of directors today. Meanwhile, publisher Adel al-Masry, a board member, revealed that the Ramadan book fair will cost only 1,500 EGP for every 9 meters, compared with 500 EGP for a meter in CIBF. Al-Masry is eager to hold the fair in Ramadan, or any time, as the publishing sector needs to compensate the losses of canceling CIBF. He said it would be a local, not international, fair. The Arab publishers will be invited because some of them have not withdrawn their books yet. Sheikh Sayed Abo Al-Qasem, the owner of Science and Government Library, is another of the fair's supporters. He told Youm7 that the fair's timing and location is appropriate, saying Faisal Street is highly populated. This will make him participate and invite his colleges to do. On the other hand, Hossam Othman, the owner of Science publishing house, rejected the timing and location, saying that holding a fair cannot be done through stands or tents. He wondered: Is Ramadan a month for reading? Will the organizations be invited to buy books from the fair? Do Arabs come to Egypt in this month? Is there a waiting park qualified enough to receive all visitors, participants and their cars? Othman criticized rushing into holding a book fair, accusing GEBO of working alone. He said, "I read two days ago that the land the fair will be held on has been stolen. Did GEBO restore it so quickly? Did it remove the infringements and prepare it for the coming fair?” He also pointed out that Faisal Street is not commensurate with an important event like a book fair, saying: "This street needs usually a visa to enter and exit, let alone to visit it daily for a book fair." Moreover, he added, the residential character of the street does not have the composition of trading or selling books. There are only two or three libraries in Faisal Street. This means that holding a book fair there is not a good idea, he said. Sherif Bakr, the owner of Al-Araby publishing house refused to participate in this book fair because Egyptians during Ramadan are usually interested in worship and food, not buying books. He said Egyptian families would not spend money in this month on books. In addition, there will be the beginning of new school year after Ramadan, and this will make the buying movement limited. He explained that any book fair depends on two things: organizations selling or individuals. He thinks that the first have a clear budget now to buy from publishers unless it is directed to this fair also. He cleared that the experiences of holding book fair during Ramadan proved that most sold books are religious ones, not academic or literary. This will make the fair a viable market to religious books publishers more than others.
