The Philippines will be guest of honour at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, from Oct 15–19. Photo: AFP
The Philippines will be presenting its literature as guest of honour at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs from Oct 15-19, the organisers have said.
"This year, we are opening a window to the Pacific," Book Fair Director Juergen Boos said at the presentation of the guest country programme in Frankfurt on Thursday. The appearance will also help to "dispel clichés," he said.
The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands and, in addition to the official language Filipino, there are more than 130 other languages.
The Philippines will bring "a multitude of voices to Frankfurt," said the initiator of the guest country appearance, Loren Legarda. The country has interesting perspectives on natural disasters and colonialism, dictatorship and diaspora, visions of the future and the threat of climate change, she said.
The architect responsible for the Guest of Honour Pavilion at the exhibition grounds, Stanley Ruiz, said it will mainly feature materials typical of the country such as shells, bamboo and pineapple fabric.
Visitors will be able to discover the most important works of Philippine literature, the organizers said. Before and after the book fair, visitors can also experience Philippine culture at exhibitions, concerts and film evenings throughout Germany.
Around 100 delegates will be travelling to the event, according to the organisers. A special feature will be the so-called FlipTop Rap Battles - competitions involving spoken word - which are particularly popular in the Philippines. - dpa
