Under the slogan "We Create Knowledge, We Safeguard the Word," the 55th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair will kick off this January, featuring the participation of 1,200 publishers from 70 countries. This fair marks the first major international event organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture since October after the cancellation of the Arab Music Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival due to the war in Gaza.
Culture Minister Nevine El-Kilani stated at a press conference on Sunday that "the fair comes in its current session challenging the difficulties facing the world, with the participation of 1,200 publishers from across the continents, an increase of 153 publishers from the previous session." She added, "Under the roof of the book fair, writers from Egypt, the Arab world, and beyond gather, welcoming millions of readers eager to explore everything new, creating an atmosphere akin to a large cultural carnival."
The fair will be held from January 24 to February 6 at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo. Norway will be the guest of honor this year, featuring an enriched program focusing on guests and themes. Norwegian Ambassador to Cairo Hilda Klimtisdahl stated at the press conference, "Through our role as a guest country, we are excited to promote the joy of reading, especially among new generations, and to facilitate communication between publishers in Egypt and Norway, enhancing the translation process from Norwegian to Arabic and encouraging dialogue between Norwegian and Arab audiences."
She added that "the cultural program for the guest of honor spans 13 days, with each day focusing on a Norwegian author and their literary works, as many participating authors have recent publications by Egyptian or Arab publishers."
This year's high committee for the fair has chosen late Egyptologist Salim Hassan (1893-1961) as the personality of the 55th edition for his significant role in establishing Egyptian identity. The recently departed writer Yaqub Al-Sharouni was selected as the "Child Exhibition Personality," recognizing him as one of the most prominent figures in children's literature in the Arab world.
The fair has introduced this year a segment called "One-Day Conference," which includes six conferences, such as the "Artificial Intelligence Technologies Conference" in collaboration with the University of Egypt for Information Science, and the "Translation from Arabic: A Bridge to Civilization" conference with the participation of the ministries of culture and endowments.
The fair will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the dean of Arabic literature Taha Hussein (1889-1973) and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Iraqi poet Nazek Al-Malaika (1923-2007). For the third consecutive year, the fair will continue its "professional program," mainly targeting publishers, authors, and cultural institutions, including a series of meetings and workshops addressing book production and publishing.
