People with special needs, martyr’s children exempted from entry fee of 51st CIBF

CAIRO - 15 January 2020: Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem decided to exempt individuals with special needs and the children of police and military martyrs of the entry fees to the 51st Cairo International Book Fair.

The book fair will be held from Jan. 22 to Feb. 4, 2020 in Egypt International Exhibitions Center.

For his part, Head of the General Egyptian Book organization Haitham el-Hag said that, based on the decision of the minister of culture, the halls hosting the book fair activities were provided with equipment and paths designed especially for people with special needs, to facilitate their tour and provide them with all the necessary services to achieve maximum benefit from the visit.

It is noteworthy that the 51st Cairo International Book Fair includes 808 booths. A total of 38 countries and 900 Arab and foreign publishing houses and official entities will participate, including three publishing houses specializing in publications related to individuals with special needs.

Some 41 Azbakiya Wall libraries will be among the participating entities in the book fair. The book fair will also host 3,502 cultural and artistic events.

Senegal will be the book fair’s guest of honor, while late writer Gamal Hemdan will be the fair’s personality. Hemdan’s special hall will be hosting discussion seminars focusing on three axise.

It is worth mentioning that the General Egyptian Book Organization, in cooperation with Dar al-Hilal, published the encyclopedia "The Personality of Egypt" by great late writer Gamal Hemdan, to be exhibited in the book fair's family library. The encyclopedia consists of four parts.

The General Egyptian Book Organization will also cooperate with Dar al-Hilal to publish 8 books for the late writer, including “Colonization and Liberation strategy” and “Colonization and Liberation in the Arab world”.

It is worth noting that the General Egyptian Book Organization has closed the door for applying for the First Book Award for youth under the age of 35, valued at L.E 5,000; the Heritage Award, which is awarded by the Book Authority and Dar al-Ketab; the awards for the Best Translated Book and the Best Translated Book for Children, awarded by the General Egyptian Book Organization and the National Center for Translation; and the award for the Best Publishing House which is granted by the General Egyptian Book Organization and the Egyptian Publishers Association.

For the first time, a digital app will be launched for the book fair, containing all the information related to the publications and their locations in the different halls.