A high-level delegation from Egypt, led by Her Excellency Dr. Inas Abdel Dayem, Egypt’s Minister of Culture, and including academics, writers, publishers and media professionals, is participating in the 31st edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which has been organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

Members of the Egyptian delegation include Dr. Hisham Azmi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Culture; Dr. Mustafa Al-Fiqi, Director of the Ba'ad Library and winner of this year's Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Publishing and Technology; Dr. Haitham Al Haj Ali, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian General Book Authority; Dr. Ahmed Bahidin, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian General Book Authority; Islam Bayoumi, Director of Exhibitions Department at the Egyptian General Book Authority; Dr. Khaled Sorour, Head of the Plastic Arts Sector; and Dr. Ahmed Al-Saeed, Head of the Central Department of Museums and Exhibitions, member of the Cultural Committee and coordinator of the professional programme at the Cairo Book Fair.

HE Dr. Abdel Dayem said Egypt and the United Arab Emirates share a long history of collaboration across various sectors, with culture being among the most notable. She said that ADIBF offers an opportunity for closer ties with Emirati institutions to advance the cultural landscape across the Arab world.

“The book fair is an extension of the honourable legacy of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who believed that building societies begins with building capacities, awareness and knowledge among human beings,” HE Dr. Abdel Dayem said. “It was launched as the UAE embarked on a holistic and wide-reaching developmental, societal and civilisational movement, which has cemented its position today as one of the most developed countries regionally and internationally.

“We are committed to actively participating in this grand event because we are aware of the great value it brings, placing it on par with major international events of this kind. Our participation stems from a common vision we have with the UAE to build a new generation of intellectuals and creative thinkers capable of expressing and addressing their nation’s issues.”

Among the events delegates participated in was the panel session ‘Taha Hussein: Insight of Mind’, in which celebrated Arab literary and academic figures discussed the legacy of late author and intellectual, known as the ‘Dean of Arabic Literature’.

The Egyptian delegation also included leading publishers such as Mohammed Rashad, President of the Arab Publishers Association; Sherif Bakr, General Manager of Al Arabi Publishing and Distribution House; Ahmed Bouhi, Founder and General Manager of Dawen Publishing and Distribution; Ahmed Muhannai, General Manager of Publishing, Dawen Publishing and Distribution; and Ali Abd El-Moneim, Head of Content Acquisition MENA at StoryTel. This year, a total of over 100 exhibitors from Egypt are attending ADIBF.