CAIRO — The Cairo International Book Fair, the oldest and largest book fair in the Middle East, celebrates its 50th anniversary under a shadow of controversy and a significant drop in the number of visitors compared to last year.
The lackluster golden anniversary of the fair is largely blamed on the decision of the fair’s organizers — General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO), which is the executive arm of the Ministry of Culture on publishing and fairs — to move the fair from its usual venue in Nasr City in east Cairo to the new exhibition center in District No. 5 in the eastern Cairo suburbs. The decision, announced three months before the start of the fair, has been protested by many publishers, particularly smaller ones, that complained the public would have difficulty accessing this new venue. Some even spoke about boycotting the fair, but GEBO ignored calls to change back the venue to Nasr City, which is easy to get to.
