Cairo: Jasour – News Desk
Under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the National Council for Special Needs Individuals is participating in the 56th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair through a dedicated pavilion in Hall 3 (B35). This year’s edition runs from January 23 to February 5 at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre on Al-Moshir Tantawy Axis in the Fifth Settlement.
Dr. Iman Karim, the General Supervisor of the National Council for Special Needs Individuals, explained that this year’s participation in the Cairo International Book Fair differs from previous years. The council is participating in the Middle East’s largest cultural event with several activities, training workshops, intellectual meetings, and educational seminars, all of which are inclusive. These activities aim to enrich minds, enlighten thoughts, enhance integration opportunities, achieve economic empowerment for special needs individuals, change societal perceptions of them, and promote the ideas of “entrepreneurship.”
In a press statement issued by the council, Karim indicated that this year’s participation includes a main seminar on cultural inclusion strategies for special needs individuals, seven inclusive cultural workshops, and two intellectual meetings to introduce the DAISY reading format and several successful models of special needs individuals. There will also be two book signing events for “Dream of a Knight,” authored by an individual with intellectual special needs, and “Bashar and Bandooqa,” which addresses societal perceptions of a special needs individual. Additionally, there will be inclusive art activities featuring flute musical performances.
Karim noted that the council’s pavilion will display several awareness publications for special needs individuals, including the Law on the Rights of Special Needs Individuals No. (10) of 2018, etiquette and interaction guidelines, and communication methods with the council. A large number of special needs individuals and their associations will also participate to showcase handmade products, which will be available to fair visitors.
The council continues its “Book Fair in Sign Language” initiative, launched several years ago, which aims to translate the events and activities of the fair into sign language for visitors with hearing impairments and raise awareness among fair visitors about the basics of sign language and commonly used terms.
It is noteworthy that the 56th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair covers an area of 55,000 square meters, with six exhibition halls. The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor this year, and the Egyptian poet Ahmed Moustajir has been chosen as the person of the year for the fair, with writer Fatima Al-Maadool representing the children’s section. The fair features around 80 countries, including 10 countries participating for the first time.
Over 6,000 activities are organized as part of the current edition, with 1,345 publishing houses and 6,150 exhibitors participating in the fair, in addition to five conferences on translating humanities in the age of artificial intelligence and intellectual property.
The Ministry of Culture has allocated an electronic book platform for its publications, and the first podcast will be launched at the fair in cooperation with the National Media Authority, along with the launch of the Million Book Initiative to enhance cultural and intellectual awareness for nation-building.
