Opening of the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair: reflections on democracy, digital colonialism, and AI restrictions

16.10.2025

Anastasiia Andrushko

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The grand opening ceremony of the Frankfurt Book Fair was held on Oct. 14, 2025, at the Messe Frankfurt convention center, as announced during the event’s broadcast.

The Philippines is the guest of honor this year, presenting its literature and culture throughout the festival under the theme “The Imagination Peoples the Air.” As part of a special program, the exhibition will be visited by Nobel Peace Prize laureate, journalist, and writer Maria Ressa, as well as Filipino documentary filmmaker Patricia Evangelista.

The event was moderated by German musician and music critic Matthias Keller. Speakers at the opening included Karin Schmidt-Friedrichs, President of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, and Jürgen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

“The Frankfurt Book Fair brings people together from all over the world. That is the essence of our brand. In a world where borders are being re-erected, we take on this mission every year. And this year, with perhaps an unprecedented sense of urgency,” Boos said during his welcome address.

On behalf of the entire industry, Boos was supported by Schmidt-Friedrichs, who called for control of the big tech giants, the creation of a creative framework in which discussion and academic freedom are possible, the promotion of reading, and a culture of mutual respect and fair treatment of content. “Ensure a democratic future for our country so that the power of imagination conveyed by our books has a fair chance to stand up to the cold power of tech giants. After all, that is the essence of the Frankfurt Book Fair.”

From left to right: Karin Schmidt-Friedrichs, President of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association; Dr. Wolfram Weimer, Minister of Culture and Media; Senator Loren Legarda of the Republic of the Philippines; Armin Schwarz, Hesse’s Minister of Culture, Education, and Opportunities; and Mike Josef, Mayor of Frankfurt am Main.

Photo credit: Zino Peter

Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef, State Minister of Culture, Education, and Opportunities Armin Schwarz, and Minister of Culture and Media Wolfram Weimer also spoke at the event.

“What is the most effective idea of our time? I would say democracy, the idea of democracy. It is a political idea that has long proven its effectiveness in many countries. It has brought us well-being, prosperity, freedom, and humanity. The freedom to take our fate into our hands. Political ideas require a majority, they require conviction, they require a position. And what Francis Fukuyama said – democracy is not necessarily the end of history. After all, human history has never been linear. It has always been a history of the struggle for ideas, and the spirit of the times is changing. Who knows this better than culture and literature? Especially here in Frankfurt, a place of books and words,” said Josef.

“Democracy does not begin in parliament. It is born in the small stories that children experience every day. When a child from Ukraine reads a poem in German and the class applauds. When a Jewish boy in Kassel tells his classmate how Passover is celebrated. When children from 12 different countries play soccer and argue about who has the best goalkeeper — not where he comes from. In moments like these, democracy breathes. It lives and grows. That is why this extremely valuable achievement must be defended again and again every day, ladies and gentlemen,” Schwartz added.

Weimer called for fair taxation and copyright protection:

“American and Chinese tech giants are training their AI systems on the basis of the world’s creative achievements. They have been doing this for the past five years and have never asked for our permission […] This means that entire cultures are becoming suppliers of raw materials and are being exploited. I call this digital colonialism, which we can no longer accept.

“We have been given a glimpse of it when the US president, in his enthusiasm, decided to rename the sea, calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Four weeks later, Google put this into practice. The world maps were changed solely by the power of Google Maps. The UN was powerless to do anything about it. And this shows what will happen if we simply allow these monopolies to reign unchallenged.”

The minister also mentioned that more and more countries are succumbing to the temptation of authoritarianism. “Even in Germany, we face this threat — due to new, right-wing, authoritarian movements that are finding resonance in the digital world. In such conditions, it is becoming increasingly hard to defend our democracy,” Weimer noted.

The opening ceremony also highlighted the Philippines, the guest of honor country, represented by poets Marjorie Evasco, Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, and Merlie M. Alunan, who delivered speeches and shared their poetry.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the world’s most important professional exhibitions in the field of book publishing, as well as an important forum of cultural and political significance in Germany and globally. As one of the leading business events in the global book industry, the Frankfurt Book Fair serves as a key platform for presenting and discussing international publishing trends. It is a hub for networking, partnership building, and sharing expertise—especially in exploring innovative business models within the book and media sectors.

As reported earlier, this year the organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair have changed the terms of the exhibition, and book sales will be permitted throughout all five days.

Watch and listen to the ceremony opening through the link.

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn