51st CIBF launches contest on its official page

CAIRO - 26 January 2020: The 51st Cairo International Book Fair announced on its official page the launch of a competition for its visitors. The book fair will run until Feb. 4, 2020.

The competition presents a question with a set of choices. The answer to the question must be inserted in the book fair’s page. The winner will be granted Gamal Hemdan’s encyclopedia “The Personality of Egypt”.

Hemdan is the main personality of the book fair's current edition. The award can also be the equivalent price of the encyclopedia in the form of a purchase voucher; the winner can purchase any book using the voucher from the booth of the General Egyptian Book Organization at the book fair.

The award will be presented at the booth of the General Egyptian Book Organization at the Cairo International Book Fair and the winner will be randomly selected.

It is worth mentioning that the 51st Cairo International Book Fair's main personality Gamal Hemdan was born on February 4, 1928 in Qalyubia Governorate, in a family that descends from the Arab Beni Hemdan tribe.

Hemdan obtained his primary certificate in 1939, and memorized the Holy Qur’an and its recitation at the hands of his father.

The late thinker and geographer joined the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, was graduated in 1948, and was appointed as a teaching assistant; then the university sent him on a mission to Britain in 1949.

He authored about 29 books and 79 papers and articles, with “The Personality of Egypt” that was published in 1967 being in the forefront.

His study "The Personality of Egypt: A Study in the ingenuity of the Place" is considered one of the most important geographical studies on Egypt, where Hemdan blended geography, history, politics, natural sciences, humanities and other applied fields.

In 1967, he also published his book "The Jews Anthropologically", in which he proved that the contemporary Jews who claim to belong to Palestine are not the descendants of the Jews who left Palestine.

Hemdan was granted the State Encouragement Award in Social Sciences and the State Appreciation Award in Social Sciences in 1986, the Scientific Progress Award from Kuwait in 1992 and 1959, in addition to receiving the Medal of Science of the first class for his book "The Personality of Egypt" in 1988. Hemdan passed away in 1993.

It is worth noting that the number of pavilions at the fair is 808, with an increase of 86 pavilions from the 50th edition. The number of publishers as well as Egyptian and Foreign entities participating are 900, with an increase of 153 publishers and entities compared to the fair’s 50th edition.

The number of Egyptian publishers is 398 and the number of Egyptian publishers of children's books is 75. Egyptian publishers of Islamic heritage books total up to 121 and the number of participating Azbakeya wall libraries is 41.

Moreover, seven publishers of audio and electronic books will be participating in addition to 255 Arab publishing houses.

Thus, the total number is 900 publishing houses, 99 agencies, 925 activities, the number of participants in the activities is 3502 participants and 38 participating countries.

The book fair will organize hundreds of cultural and artistic activities, most of which focus on various African cultures and arts.