The 77th Frankfurt Book Fair commenced Tuesday with an opening ceremony underscoring its role as a vital connector amidst a world increasingly defined by geopolitical divisions. Director Jürgen Boos emphasized the Fair’s core mission: fostering connection and understanding, a political imperative he stated with “never before seen urgency” given the current global climate.
Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, in a keynote address, articulated the Fair’s significance extending far beyond a mere commercial marketplace for books. He framed it as a sanctuary for freedom of expression and intellectual exploration. “The world’s politically highly volatile situation and the rise of dehumanizing autocracies” he observed, starkly illustrate the crucial value of literature in a turbulent era. He lauded literature’s power to broaden perspectives, initiate necessary dialogues and cultivate empathy and tolerance, highlighting its crucial role in countering the “unculture of resentment and populist propaganda.
A particularly pointed segment of Weimer’s speech focused on the encroaching influence of artificial intelligence and its exploitation of creative work. He accused US and Chinese tech giants of systematically stripping vast swathes of literary and artistic content from across the world to train their AI systems, all without authorial consent or fair compensation. “They are completely unabashedly drawing on the fund of intellectual property around the globe” Weimer declared, drawing a direct parallel to historical colonialism. He condemned this practice as “digital colonialism” that demands urgent and forceful action. “We need to establish effective copyright protection” he insisted.
The opening ceremony also featured remarks from Hessian Minister of Education Armin Schwarz (CDU) and Frankfurt’s Mayor Mike Josef (SPD). Senator Loren Legarda, representing the Philippines-this year’s guest of honor-delivered a political address. The cultural program included performances by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Frankfurt-based musician Timothy Roth and a trio of prominent Filipino poets: Merlie Alunan, Marjorie Evasco and Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta. The Fair aims to explore the themes and narratives emerging from Philippine culture while grappling with broader current global challenges.