From the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025: Experience in promoting national culture

Opportunity to spread cultural identity

The theme of this year's Frankfurt Book Fair is the intersection of creativity and commerce, with the most prominent mark coming from the Guest of Honor program for the Philippines - the country honored with the slogan The imagination peoples the air, inspired by the work Noli Me Tangere by Filipino poet José Rizal (1861-1896).

Visitors visit Kim Dong Publishing House's booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Germany)

Through the story of the Philippines at this book fair, we can draw valuable lessons on how countries use global platforms to spread cultural heritage, promote translation and build international cultural bridges.

The Philippines, as Guest of Honour, turned the book fair into a dazzling stage. The 2,000m2 Philippine Pavilion at the Forum was designed as a “floating archipelago” with interactive areas, introducing more than 100 authors and 50 artists. Not limited to the book fair activities, the Philippines also organized many outside events such as: the Oculus exhibition at the Heidelberger Kunstverein (Berlin) - taking the audience to explore colonial heritage through images and performances; the Pagtatahip performance at the Humboldt Forum Museum (Berlin) - recreating sounds from anti-colonial poetry to folk lullabies; the New Beginnings photography workshop at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt - where artists shared about personal identity through the lens of migration and labor; Philippinische Kino Film Festival at the Deutsches Filminstitut (German Film Institute) - presents the history of Philippine cinema since the 1970s…

The story of the Philippines at the Frankfurt Book Fair has shown that promoting culture must be multi-dimensional: combining historical heritage with contemporary creativity; using technology to make the audience part of the local culture. The Philippines has also invested heavily in parallel activities such as: cooperating with German museums to organize exhibitions on Philippine architecture; organizing the “Jeepney Journey” project - bringing Manila's iconic jeepney to Frankfurt - turning the streets into cultural spaces with music , food and storytelling activities... All of these have brought the Philippine Pavilion beyond the concept of a “book stall” to become a “living bridge”, where culture is a sustainable commercial product.

Success from long-term investment

Not only the Philippines, other countries also exploit book fairs to promote culture effectively. Saudi Arabia turned the Saudi Pavilion into a “hub of exchange” where European publishers discussed cooperation, exhibited books on Islamic heritage and modern creativity, and attracted crowds through cultural performances. Similarly, the Kazakhstan Pavilion is like a “center of literary heritage”, focusing on networking activities, book signings and seminars, helping the country’s literature reach the European market. Azerbaijan stands out with a pavilion displaying works accompanied by cultural activities such as poetry readings and photo exhibitions, promoting the country’s image through the lens of literature... These examples show that, even if they are not Guest of Honour, small countries can still succeed by focusing on their own unique aspects.

From the practice of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, we can see experiences to promote national culture, such as: integrating multimedia, not only books but also films, music, exhibitions... to create comprehensive attraction; prioritizing translation and copyright, because the book fair is the world's largest "copyright market", where countries sell tens of thousands of book copyrights; building a long-term plan, with events not stopping at the book fair but spreading through many diverse cultural programs...

The Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 has shown that promoting culture is a strategic investment. For countries with rich cultural identities like Vietnam, experience shows that it is advisable to invest in interactive booths, early international cooperation, and diversify content (from traditional to modern, from handicraft to technology). In the following years, we need to focus on introducing books and cultural products and activities in parallel, so that visitors to our booth not only find unique books but are also impressed by cultural beauty. Tea ceremony, Dong Ho paintings, Do paper making techniques, Don Ca Tai Tu..., along with scarves, conical hats, lotus tea... can all be things that attract visitors and help them remember Vietnam for a long time. Then, after the book fair, the image of the country and people of Vietnam will have the opportunity to get closer to more friends.

NGUYEN MINH HAI

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tu-hoi-sach-frankfurt-2025-kinh-nghiem-quang-ba-van-hoa-dan-toc-post822834.html