The Alexandria Arab Book Fair
GEBO held an Arab Book Fair for the first time. It was agreed that it be held in Alexandria, as the Fair would be held in the summer, when holiday-makers thronged to Alexandria, Egypt's prime port and “jewel of the Mediterranean”. The Alexandria Fair is held in the second half of August, hosting Arab and Egyptian publishers. An Arab country would be the Fair's guest of honour. Saudi Arabia was the guest of honour at the first Arab fair held in 2006.
The Fair is accompanied by cultural and artistic events, such as seminars, operatic performances, and folkloric music and dances. Books are offered at reduced prices.
All Alexandrian intellectuals and writes are invited to take part in these events. They did so in the 2007 Fair, held at the Qaytbay Castle, August 22 – September 4, 2007.
The website of the Fair is: http://www.alexbookfair.org

The 40th International Cairo Book Fair
GEBO is organizing, from January 22 – February 4, 2008, its fortieth International Cairo Book Fair. GEBO invites all Egyptian publishers to participate in this Fair, to be held at the Fairs Centre, Nasr City, Cairo. GEBO also invites all publishers, Arab and foreign, to take part in this massive cultural festival. Its functions will combine culture and art : a full cultural programme will accompany the Fair, including cultural seminars, poetry reading, artistic soirées, and the discussion of ‘light' cultural topis at the ‘cultural café'. The conditions for participation in this year's Fairo will be duly announced.
Over the last 40 years the Cairo Fair has developed considerably : its area has expanded, the number of publishers taking part has increased, and the cultural activities accompanying the Fair have developed. The success of the early experimental Arab Book Fairs in Egypt led to the contemplation of holding local and international fairs. These have now been joint Arab Book Fairs, based on joint Arab publishing plans, with a view to allowing Arab books to play their part side by side with foreign and imported books.
The idea behind the participation of cultural delegations at the highest level was to provide an opportunity for the unhindered book- exchange in the middle east, for enabling readers to familiarize themselves with the most recent intellectual trends in print, to hold publishing and distribution agreements, and to facilitate book marketing. These should cover the following :
* the exchange of copyright (covering authors', publishers' and translation rights);
* granting representation and agency rights in the middle east; and
* to study the ways and means of facilitating the dissemination of culture and ideas.
The Cairo International Book Fair has developed in recent years into a massive cultural festival, and an arena for dialogue between intellectuals, writers and artists on the one hand and visitors of the Fair on the other. Starting in 1989 GEBO has been careful to learn the reading trends of the public, a special form has been designed for that purpose, and members of the public filled it. The results have helped a great deal in shaping the future publishing plans : the needs of the public are met, and GEBO output has been geared to serve the purposes of cultural development in its broadest sense.
The website of the Fair is: http://www.cairoibf.org

The Cairo International Fair for Children's Books
Since inception in 1969, the Cairo International Book Fair has attracted the largest number of Arab and foreign publishers; they presented their most recent books in art, science and literature. And since inception too a number of pavilions for children's books have been designated. Out of our great interest in children's culture, and the care taken to ensure the development of the child's thought and personality on a sound basis, seminars and colloquia were held in which prominent writers for children and educators took part. In 1983, this interest developed into holding an independent, international fair for children's books. It was thought best to hold it in November, annually, when the country marked child's Day. Arab and foreign publishers participating have been careful to exhibit in their children's books the most recent and the finest in printing arts. The holding of an independent Book Fair for children showed how much Egypt and other Arab countries cared for children and young people : today's child is tomorrow's man. Acting quickly and effectively to achieve the objectives it set itself, GEBO has devoted part of its work to publishing children's books. The main idea behind holding the seminars accompanying the Fair was for them to be venues for knowledge, and the exchange of experience among the writers of children's books in Egypt and other Arab countries. Indeed, specialists have in those seminars presented both their own ideas and the most up-to-date information on children's culture. Their presentations have been characterized by a combination of abstruse scientific content and attractively simplified forms, so that their audiences –– who were writers, painters and poets –– found no difficulty at all in absorbing the main ideas.
The Cairo International Fair for Children's Books has been able to attract millions of children. A further factor was the accompanying cultural events which are dear to children's hearts. These included theatrical performances, film shows, folkloric arts, and fine arts exhibitions. Spaces were specified where children could paint, get to know one another, and exchange experience and information.
The website of the Fair is: http://www.childrensbookfair.org