Egypt’s National Centre for Translation (NCT) has released the seventh volume of The Constitutions of World, containing the constitution of South Africa, translated by Amany Fahmy.

The previous six volumes contained the constitutions of the US, France, Germany, India, Russian Federation, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Iran, Greece, Australia and Turkey. The translation of these volumes comes as part of an initiative to spread awareness amongst the youth about global constitutions. Egypt is just a stone’s throw from writing a new democratic constitution after the January 25 Revolution.

The importance of the South African constitution stems from its history, as it was the outcome of very detailed and inclusive negotiations that revealed a strong will to overcome South Africa’s non-democratic past. It is considered one of the most advanced constitutions of the modern age because of its special stance on human rights.

What is unique about this constitution, according to the translator, is that it made use of the past experiences of the democratic world.

Amany Fahmy is an Egyptian translator who worked as a translator at Egypt’s official news agency Middle East News Agency (MENA), and has translated texts of the world famous theatre playwright  Harold Pinter.