CAIRO, 18 January 2006 — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday inaugurated the 38th International Book Fair in Egypt’s capital. The exhibition will continue through Feb. 3. Thirty-two countries are expected to participate this year, including 17 Arab states. The Cairo International Book Fair is also expecting more than 600 publishers distributed over 18 showrooms and other open-air pavilions.
Mubarak holds his annual meeting with Egypt’s writers and intellectuals during the inauguration of the fair. And as a new tradition, Germany was selected to be the first guest of honor of the fair. Egypt was the guest of honor at Germany’s book fair last year.
The fair will be closed during some of the days of the African Championship in the nearby Cairo Stadium in anticipation of huge crowds. The fair will close its doors on Jan. 20, 24 and 28, the days on which the Egypt National Squad will be playing. It will also close early on the other days of the football matches.
Khaled Abdul Aziz, the chairman of the African Championship in Egypt, told Arab News that the chairman of the Sport National Council has reached an agreement with the book fair organizers to modify the daily closing time of the fair, from 10 p.m. to 3 p.m. as the games are expected to start at 5 p.m. ending at 10 p.m.
Those living in the Nasr City suburb where the fair and the stadium are located have complained of feeling “imprisoned” at home because of the coinciding events.
Nasr Wahba, a doctor who lives and works nearby, told to Arab News that he has started to feel “a real problem” to get to and from his clinic everyday.
Area housewife Mona Al-Basri seemed less concerned about the traffic that is snarling due to the two coinciding events.
Meanwhile, official sources in the government told Arab News that Egypt is not currently considering the deportation of any Sudanese refugees from Cairo. The sources also revealed that the Sudanese protesters that were detained during December’s clashes with police would be released in the coming days.
