Naguib Mahfouz portrait dedicated to Johannesburg University

CAIRO – 3 September 2017: A portrait of late Egyptian novelist Naigub Mahfouz has been donated to the Johannesburg University in South Africa by the Ministry of Culture, according to a released statement by the Ministry.

This comes as part of a planned library in the Johannesburg University's set to feature Mahfouz's name and several of his works. Founded in 2005, the University chose to honor Mahfouz by dedicating a library to him, and reached out to Egypt's Ministry of Culture in order to assist with the process.

The Minister of Culture Hilmi Al-Namnam helped by sending in several of the author's publications and designing the portrait. Mahfouz's daughter, Umm Kulthum Mahfouz, was contacted for approval in putting her father's name on the buildings.

Authorities such as the Dar El Shorouk bookstore were contacted in order to supply the library with around 42 novels, and the American University in Cairo donated 20 of Mahfouz's English works, including ‘The Thief and the Dogs’.

This initiative comes as part of the Minstry's aims to foster better cultural relations between Egypt and the rest of Africa.