MBRF strengthens regional knowledge ecosystem at Cairo Book Fair 2026
Dubai, 27 January 2026: The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) is reinforcing its strong presence at the 57th Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) with a comprehensive knowledge agenda highlighting its diverse initiatives and their pivotal role in advancing the Arab knowledge landscape, enhancing publishing output, and nurturing upcoming writers and translators. MBRF’s activities have attracted significant attendance and broad visitor engagement, complemented by strong participation from notable authors, writers, and humanities experts.
As part of its participation, the Knowledge Project – an outcome of the strategic partnership between MBRF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – hosted interactive workshops and panel discussions on essential future skills, such as creative thinking and innovation, team-building, communication, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and AI. The workshops drew strong engagement, underscoring the influence of the Future Skills Academy and the growing enthusiasm of Arab youth for science and technology.
The Dubai International Program for Writing further enriched attendees with specialized sessions and workshops designed to enhance creative and professional writing skills. Highlights included daily children’s story readings, ‘The Ethics of the Critic: Between Objectivity and Personal Bias’, ‘Reading the Text Under the Microscope’, ‘Media in the Age of AI: Who Shapes the Narrative?’, ‘Post-Apocalyptic Literature in Sci-Fi – A Science Fiction Workshop’, and ‘Folktales in the Age of Digital Culture’.
At the same time, the ‘Knowledge Lounge’ initiative presented a dynamic lineup of seminars exploring key literary and intellectual topics, including ‘The First Release: Writing Before Recognition’, ‘The City and Social Transformations: Who Writes Whom?’’, ‘Writing After Mahfouz… The Problem of the Great Predecessor,’ ‘The Literary Character in View: How a Novelist Thinks with a Cinematic Eye’, ‘From Screen to Page: Transformations of Voice and Meaning’, ‘The Fruit of Taha Elias’, ‘From Story to Vision: Transformations of the Narrative Voice’, ‘Who Creates Literary Value Today?’, ‘Literature Facing Oblivion and Marginalization’, ‘Outside the Mold: How the Actor-Writer Creates Characters’, and ‘What Remains After the Story?’. The program concluded with a poetry evening titled, ‘Poetry Sustains’.
The Digital Knowledge Hub (DKH) delivered a series of workshops and sessions on digital literacy and Arabic content creation. This included introductory meetings with the National Agricultural Library and the Ministry of Planning, as well as sessions such as ‘DKH: Platform, Content, and Solutions’, ‘Arab Digital Platforms and Content Creation’, and ‘Building Digital Systems in the Age of AI’. The program also featured a book signing of ‘Knowledge Markets: Dynamics, Opportunities, Challenges’.
MBRF welcomes visitors to CIBF to explore its pavilion, experience its wide‑ranging programs, and participate in workshops and panel sessions highlighting the latest trends in knowledge and creativity, thereby fostering a culture of continuous learning and advancing the regional knowledge ecosystem.
