Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Egypt Attracts Attention in Nairobi Int’nal Book Fair


Sun 29 Sep 2019 | 11:22 PM
Ali Abu Dashish

Dr. Inas Abdel Dayem, Minister of Culture and her accompanying delegation participated in the opening ceremonies of the 22nd Edition of Nairobi International Book Fair- Kenya- which was held in the Conference Hall.

The ceremony began with the inauguration of the Egyptian pavilion which attracted the attention of 220 titles - published by the General Book Organization- and copies of Pharaonic papyri.

The ceremony was attended by Khaled El Abyad, the Egyptian Ambassador to Kenya, Lawrence Nagahi, President of the Kenyan Publishers Association and head of Nairobi International Book Fair, Dr. Haitham Al Haj Ali, head of the Egyptian General Book Organization, in addition to an array of Kenyan publishers.

Abdel Dayem inspected the fair pavilions in her capacity as the guest of honor for this edition.

On his part, Lawrence Nagahi praised Egypt's first participation in the 22nd Edition of Nairobi International Book Fair and expressed his delight at the presence of the Egyptian Minister of Culture, noting that Egypt has a pioneer and a pivotal role in various fields of culture.

Nagahi said that “Egypt is The Godfather of Book”, hence, we made use of The Egyptian experience in transferring Nairobi International Book Fair this year to Sarit Center Hall after it was held in places that are not suitable for its literary and cultural value.

He also praised Cairo International Book Fair after being transferred to “the Egyptian International Exhibition Center- Fifth Assembly”, explaining that book industry in Kenya faces many challenges.

“We are working on the development of this industry to achieve its goals and motivate the new generation to read,” said Nagahi, stressing that the fair includes 85 pavilions including 70 local and 15 international.

On the other hand, Dr. Abdel Dayem, expressed her great pleasure with her first visit to Kenya, which comes as a forum for civilization and culture to gather thoughts with creativity.

Abdel Dayem added that Nairobi International Book Fair is considered to be the first glimpse for a great cooperation and an emphasis for long-standing historical relations between the two countries, pointing to the Nile River- a lifeline connecting both countries’ roots and uniting their future.

She said that as the Nile transfers water from Kenya to Egypt; in turn, it also transfers love from Egypt to Kenya.

She assured that Egypt’s orientation to the African depth as a main element in His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi strategy that pays great attention to the African cooperation and African development policy. This coincides with Egypt presidency of The African Union to establish new African cultural and creative horizons.