Under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the activities of the 54th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF)  will be launched by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly from January 25 to February 6, 2023 at Egypt International Exhibition Center ( EIEC) under the title: "The name of Egypt - together: We read .. We think .. We create."

On January 25, guests, authors, publishers, and businessmen will have access to the halls of the CIBF.

The public will be able to visit the book fair the following day and tour the CIBF's different halls from 10 AM to 8 PM. 

The CIBF is open to visitors on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 AM and 9 PM.

A number of buses are dedicated to CIBF visitors. The buses will depart from different squares and areas in Cairo.

CIBF is held on an area of 80,000 square meters, in 5 pavilions; with the participation of 1,047 Egyptian, Arab and foreign publishers and agencies from 53 countries.

Hungary and the Dominican Republic will also be taking part in the event for the first time.

The fair will feature a cultural program that includes nearly 500 different cultural activities that entrench the Egyptian cultural identity.

Jordan will be this year’s guest of honor.

The late Egyptian poet Salah Jaheen will be the personality of the year, while the Egyptian writer Kamel Kilani, who has pioneered children’s literature across the Arab world, will be the personality of the year at the children’s exhibition.

This year, CIBF administration launched an e-application to help customers and book lovers access all available services at the Book Fair and learn about the latest news and events.

Between 1984 and 2019, the fair was held at the Cairo International Fair Zone in Nasr City, but is now held at the more spacious and better equipped International Exhibition Centre in New Cairo.

Inaugurated in 1969 and organized by the General Egyptian Book Organization, the Cairo International Book Fair is one of the largest in the world and the oldest in the Arab world, bringing hundreds of book sellers locally and worldwide.

It is the largest book fair in the Arab world, as well as the oldest. In 2006, it was the second largest book fair in the world after the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The Fair was cancelled in January 2011 due to the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

Last year, it was held in exceptional circumstances amid coronavirus restrictions.

Bayt Alhikma will participate in the 2023 Cairo International Book Fair under the slogan of books for all family members.
Bayt Alhikma also plans to offer over 15 books for teaching the Chinese language to Arabs in collaboration with Beijing University and the Chinese publishing house, Sinolingua.

The books are to be offered for shoppers at low prices. 

The Activities

25/01/2023

The Opening

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli inaugurated on Wednesday 25/01/2023 the 54th Cairo International Book Fair accompanied by a number of ministers, including Culture Minister Niven el-Kilany in addition to representatives of governmental, national, Arab and international pavilions.

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, accompanied by Culture Minister Nevine el-Kilani and Awqaf Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, visited the pavilion of Haya Karima (Decent Life) Foundation.

The foundation plans to hold many activities during the days of the fair and hosts some children of the villages that were developed under Decent Life initiative to shed light on the role played by the foundation in securing a decent life to those villagers.

The Prime Minister welcomed the participants in the Cairo International Book Fair this year, from Egypt and various countries of the world, directing a special greeting to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the guest of honor for this session, pointing to the strong fraternal ties and the extended bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries in various fields.

For her part, the Minister of Culture thanked the President of the Republic for his generous sponsorship of the exhibition, and also expressed her appreciation to the Prime Minister for attending the opening of this session, which embodies the state's support for this most prominent Arab cultural forum, which brings together intellectuals and readers, and constitutes a pillar of Egypt's soft power.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister toured the corridors of the exhibition, inspecting a number of pavilions of the participating institutions, bodies and publishing houses, and was briefed on what the exhibition presents in its current session.

Culture Minister Neveen el-Kilany met with her Jordanian counterpart Haifa Najjar, in the presence of Jordanian Ambassador to Cairo Amjad Adaileh, as part of the 54th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair.

During the meeting, Kilany stressed the importance of increasing cultural cooperation, lauding the distinctive design of the Jordanian pavilion at the fair, which highlighted Jordan’s cultural identity and heritage.

For her part, Najjar invited Egypt to be the guest of honour at the Jerash Festival in its next edition, stressing the importance of bolstering cultural relations.

The two sides also focused on increasing cultural exchange in the future.

26/01/2023

The 1st Intellectual Property Conference

the 1st Intellectual Property Conference was held on the sidelines of the 54th Cairo International Book Fair, under the title " Intellectual Property ... Protecting Creativity in the New Republic." 

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Culture (SCC) Hisham Azmy delivered a speech on behalf of the culture minister, asserting that holding an Intellectual Property (IP) conference on the sidelines of the 54th Cairo International Book Fair aims to crystalize visions for protecting the publishing industry.

He said this conference discusses the role of intellectual property in supporting creative industries and the threat of piracy to publishing, as well as introducing legislations to protect IP.

He pointed out that the conference is the first to be organized since launching the National Strategy for Intellectual Property in September 2022.

He noted that Egypt has long history in joining treaties on IP, referring to the nine agreements Egypt had signed in this field.

He also said the Culture Ministry will forward the conference's recommendations to the committee responsible for implementing the National Strategy for Intellectual Property.

For his part, Director of the General Egyptian Book Authority (GEBA) Ahmed Bahi el-Din said that the Intellectual Property Conference was the first activity launched by the 54th Cairo International Book Fair, in line with the national strategy that aims at protecting Intellectual Property (IP) rights on the premise that protecting the creation of peoples' mind is vital for promoting creativity.

He asserted that protecting IP has become a prerequisite, heightened by major changes that the entire globe has been going through even from the previous century.

He added that globalization and the rise of the information society, in which information tools have become an important aspect that paves the way for innovation, along with the undesirable effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic, are all major factors stimulating the proliferation of multiple e-platforms.

He also highlighted strenuous measures adopted by the State to protect IP. 

Art show at Al Gomhuria Theatre

Egypt's Culture Minister Nevine el-Kilani and her Jordanian counterpart Haifa Najjar attended an art show at Al Gomhuria Theatre, on the sidelines of the 54th Cairo International Book Fair

The show, organized by the Embassy of Jordan in Cairo, was held on the occasion of naming Jordan as the guest of honour at the 54th Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF).

Meanwhile, Kilani lauded the distinguished participation of Jordan in the fair, saying that its participation has added richness to the event.

Kilani also hailed the close ties binding Egypt and Jordan in the various spheres.

For her part, the Jordanian minister underlined the exceptional relations between Egypt and Jordan, most significantly in the cultural sphere.

Reviews by Arab officials

In statements to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), Arab cultural officials participating in the Cairo International Book Fair said the event is a means to strengthen bonds of cooperation and communication among Arab countries and peoples; as it provides a great opportunity to display the cultures, civilizations and heritage of Arab countries.

Mahmoud bin Khalifa bin Salem, an official at the Omani Ministry of Information, said his country is keen to participate in the Cairo International Book Fair every year, which he added reflects the strength of Egypt-Oman relations at all levels, especially the cultural one.

The director of the Yemeni pavilion said the fair provides a great opportunity for cultural exchanges and is considered a means to let people get acquainted with the Yemeni culture in a broad manner.

Bashar Jassim, Director of the Bahrain International Book Fair, stressed his country’s keenness to take part in such cultural events to familiarize the Arab public with Bahrain’s intellectual production.
He also pointed out that Cairo-Manama relations have been witnessing growth at all levels under the leadership of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Fadel Hussein Ahmed, director of the Sharjah Book Authority’s pavilion, said the UAE’s authority is keen to be present at the Cairo International Book Fair because of its importance in the region and the entire world.

He hailed as “distinguished” Egypt-UAE cultural relations, noting that Egypt is a cultural power base in the region.

Ahmed al Amadi, the director of the Qatari culture ministry’s pavilion, emphasized his country’s strong relations with Egypt in the cultural field, noting that Doha’s participation in the Cairo book fair is meant to showcase the intellectual heritage of Qatar.

Alian Al Adwan, Head of the Jordanian Writers Association (JWA) said the 54th Cairo International Book Fair is a great opportunity to promote Arab culture among foreign participants at the event.
He added that the fair is a global cultural event allowing the visitors to be familiar with other cultures.
Al-Adwan also praised the participation of Jordan in the event as a guest of honor.