Seminar: The Present and Future of the Book and Publishing Industry in Egypt

Participants in the seminar titled “The Present and Future of the Book and Publishing Industry in Egypt”, organized by the Kemet Boutros Ghali Foundation for Peace and Knowledge at the Diplomatic Club, affirmed that Egypt leads the Arab world in the fields of publishing, authorship, and culture.

During the seminar, moderated by the foundation’s Executive Director, Ambassador Leila Bahaa El-Din, participants emphasized that the Cairo International Book Fair remains the most important in the Arab region—especially because it is held in the great city of Cairo—and continues to impress each year with the sheer number of enthusiastic attendees, regardless of prevailing circumstances.

In this context, Mamdouh Abbas, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Boutros Ghali Foundation, noted that the book and publishing industry is one of the oldest cultural industries to have taken root in Egypt. Since the first quarter of the 19th century, book printing and publishing have become an established industry in the country, evolving through various stages—sometimes independent, other times under state control, and at other times jointly managed by private and public publishing houses.

He added that Egypt also experienced significant initiatives such as the creation of publishing cooperatives, and has had a Union of Egyptian Publishers for many years. He recalled that Egypt held its first book fair under Dr. Suheir Al-Qalamawi and Dr. Tharwat Okasha in 1969—an event that continues to this day and serves as a key support mechanism for the publishing industry.

Abbas further stated that rapid political, economic, and technological changes raise many questions about the current and future state of the book and publishing industry, changes in the topics being published compared to the past, the nature of today’s bestsellers, and whether popularity equates to quality or relevance.

He also questioned the impact of technological advancement and the information and communication revolution on publishing, and how swiftly Egyptian publishers have embraced digital publishing. In addition, he addressed the challenges of piracy, copyright, intellectual property rights, and the effect of the economic crisis on the publishing sector.

Eng. Ibrahim El Moallem, Chairman of Dar El Shorouk Publishing House, emphasized that books and publishing are the key foundations of culture. He stated that creative and cultural industries are the most influential in building individuals, who are in turn the core and aim of development.

He stressed that creative industries are essential for the advancement of nations and societies due to their role in shaping human consciousness, highlighting the importance of respecting and protecting intellectual property rights to ensure the sustainability of the industry.

El Moallem called for the revival and legal protection of art, music, poetry, and cinema to combat intellectual property violations. He noted that Egypt has long exported its creative industries—including publishing and software—across eras, from Indonesia in the east to Nigeria in the west, and was among the first to enter the world of publishing.

He pointed out that Alexandria was once considered the second capital of the book globally, due to its famed library, which served as a beacon of knowledge. He called for reviving the previously proposed initiative to make Alexandria the global hub of creativity, in tribute to the legacy of the Library of Alexandria, adding that Egypt is capable of great achievements in the cultural sphere.

He also noted that the largest number of books published in Egypt today are university textbooks, both public and private, which continue to evolve year after year. Egyptian schoolbooks were once taught across most Arab countries, he reminded.

El Moallem highlighted the increasing global cultural conflicts in recent years, alongside the massive shifts in content formats, from electronic to print to audiobooks. He emphasized the importance of publishing in Standard Arabic, rather than dialects, echoing the belief of Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz, so as to reach the broader Arab audience, not just Egyptian readers.

He warned that if Egypt wishes to advance, it must bridge the gap between colloquial Arabic and Standard Arabic, while praising the Egyptian government's efforts to combat book piracy, which harms the industry.

For his part, Dr. Ibrahim Awad, Professor of Public Policy at the American University in Cairo, said that creative and cultural industries are among the most important sectors in any country seeking progress and development. He noted that culture shapes the minds of nations, and Egypt has the potential to do much in this field, as it once had a strong influence on the Arab reader.

The seminar was held on the evening of Wednesday at the Diplomatic Club, and was attended by a distinguished group of public, political, diplomatic, and cultural figures.