By Manal Abdel Fattah
The Norwegian Embassy in Cairo announced that its country is the guest of honor for the 55th session of the Cairo International Book Fair, scheduled to be held from January 24 to February 6, 2024, during a joint press conference with Dr. Nevin Kilani, Minister of Culture, where she welcomed this.
Ambassador Hilda Klemtsdal, Norwegian Ambassador to Cairo, revealed that Her Royal Highness, wife of the Norwegian Crown Prince, Princess Mette-Marit, will open the Norwegian program for the Cairo International Book Fair, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Ede will also participate in the opening of the fair.
The Norwegian Embassy in Cairo published an overview of its project as a guest of honor at the Cairo International Book Fair, in which it said that Norway will be a guest of honor at the Cairo Book Fair from January 24 to February 6, 2024.
The book fair is a wonderful opportunity to present a wide range of Norwegian literary works in Egypt and the Arabic-speaking market, as the project will present authors from Norway who will interact with their Egyptian readers and give impressions of Norway to enhance communication between our two countries under the slogan “The Dream We Hold.”
The Norwegian Literature Abroad Authority (NORLA), affiliated with the Norwegian government, wants to help ensure that Norwegian literature reaches its readers all over the world, and that the meeting between writers from Norway and Arab readers at the Cairo Book Fair will bring more knowledge about the world of Arab culture to the country. Norway.
The Norwegian Literature Abroad Authority added that through the project it wants to ignite the joy of reading and show the importance of reading to children of all ages, as it said that it will facilitate making new connections in a market where Norwegian literature has great potential and provide a meeting point for Norwegian literary agents corresponding to Egyptian publishers.
Norla added: We aim to strengthen translators from Norwegian to Arabic and stimulate dialogue between the Norwegian and Arab public.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs works closely with Norla to create greater opportunities for Norwegian literature at the international level.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barthe said that, as Norway is the guest of honor at the Cairo Book Fair, it has a unique opportunity to introduce Norwegian authors to the Arabic-speaking public, at a time when cultural interaction and dialogue may contribute to building bridges and creating understanding.
“Translated books bring different parts of the world closer together, and allow us to expand our understanding of each other and gain new experiences,” added Noorla Director Margit Walsow, continuing: “Literature has a unique ability to build bridges between cultures and strengthen individuals, societies, and cooperation across borders.” This is the message that accompanied us during this project.”
Nisreen Maktabi Barqouki, Director of the Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books, said: “All our arrangements at the book fair aim to highlight the distinctive qualities of Norwegian children’s and youth literature, and at the same time learn about the Egyptian reading culture as a national educational and knowledge center for children’s and youth literature. This represents valuable, stimulating knowledge at the level.” Professional and important from the perspective of cultural and literary development.”
