When the Archipelago Spoke

The Philippines as guest of honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025

There are moments in a nation’s history when it steps beyond its borders and encounters itself anew through the eyes of the world. In October 2025, the Philippines experienced such a moment as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse—the world’s most influential book fair. For one luminous week, the archipelago stood at the centre of global imagination.

The Philippine presence in Frankfurt was more than an exhibition of literature. It was a reclamation of identity, voice, and narrative, unfolding in a city where stories shape economies and ideas move nations.

A choir of identities

Before we wrote, we sang. It was therefore fitting that the Philippines opened its cultural presence in Germany with music. The Philippine Madrigal Singers, two-time champion of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing under Professor Mark Anthony Carpio, filled Frankfurt’s modern halls with harmonies that felt like prayers carried across oceans. Song Weavers Philippines, led by Alfred Samonte, introduced choral soundscapes shaped by the rhythms of a modern archipelago.

Anchoring the diaspora’s artistic voice was Jonathan Zaens, Berlin-based bass-baritone, whose performances conveyed the elegance and emotional precision of Filipino musicality in the European landscape. These concerts were more than artistic showcases. They were declarations—clear, resonant, and unmistakable—that Filipino culture is alive, sophisticated, and beautifully borderless.

Images (left to right): The Philippine Madrigal Singers under Prof. Mark Anthony Carpio with Song Weavers Philippines and Berlin-based Bass-Baritone Jonathan Dela Paz Saenz; Berlin-based Bass-Baritone Jonathan Dela Paz-Saenz; The author of this article, Cipriano De Guzman Jr.-The Filipino Baritone® together with German-based violinists Justin and Janna Texon.

Other notable performers who shaped the week

Beyond the headlining choirs, many Filipino artists enriched the Buchmesse’s cultural tapestry. Violinists Justin Texon and Janna Inacay-Texon delivered performances with an expressive fire that commanded the hall. With breathtaking precision and youthful brilliance, the Texon power couple showcased the versatility and depth of Filipino musicianship. Their playing was both intimate and electrifying — a dialogue of bows and strings that invited audiences into distinctly Filipino emotional landscapes. Together, they created a musical conversation that was nothing short of captivating. Their duet became a quiet triumph — a reminder that the future of Filipino classical artistry is in excellent hands.

The music of Professor Chino Toledo and National Artist for Music Dr. Ramon P.Santos were brought to life by the great musical collaboration between the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Song Weavers Philippines, Soprano Bianca Lopez-Aguila, and Kwerdas Filipinas

To cap the whole week of live performances, there was a thanksgiving concert which included all the artists; Akayu, Adat Paranubliom Kulintang Ensemble, Cellist Damodar Das Castillo, Violinists Justin and Janna Texon, Kwerdas Filipinas, Soprano Bianca Lopez-Aguila, Bass-Baritone Jonathan Dela Paz Saenz, Song Weavers Philippines, and the Philippine Madrigal Singers. 

A jeepney in the heart of Europe

Photo courtesy of Violinist Justin Texon.

Perhaps no symbol captured the Philippine spirit more boldly than the jeepney installation displayed in Frankfurt’s city centre. There it stood—colourful, unapologetic, simultaneously out of place and perfectly at home—its chrome and painted saints gleaming beside the clean lines of German streets. Visitors touched it, stepped inside, asked about its origins. In these simple gestures, the jeepney became what it has always been: a vessel of memory, ingenuity, and identity. For many in the Filipino diaspora, its presence stirred unexpected emotion. It was a reminder that home sometimes returns unannounced, wrapped in colour, humour, and sunlight.

Maria Ressa and the imperative of truth

Panelists discuss freedom of speech with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa.

At the intellectual heart of the programme was Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of the world’s most powerful voices on press freedom. Her talks on disinformation, democracy, and the fragility of truth were not academic exercises; they were urgings. With the clarity of someone who has lived the consequences of silence, Ressa reminded audiences that literature is not only an art form but an act of responsibility. Her presence lent the Philippines’ Guest of Honour year not only cultural significance but also moral weight.

Maria Renker: A bridge of books between nations

No celebration of Philippine literature in Germany would be complete without acknowledging the indispensable work of Maria Renker, Roots & Wings Magazine’s Country Editor in Germany and one of the Filipino community’s most respected cultural advocates.

Maria Renker played a crucial role in the Philippine participation at the Buchmesse 2025—not only as a journalist, but as a cultural translator in the deepest sense. She amplified Filipino authors by engaging publishers, translators, and literary institutions across Germany. She documented and interpreted the Philippine story for European audiences with insight and precision. She championed Filipino literature in conversations that shaped the visibility and direction of the Guest of Honour programme.

Throughout the fair, she became a bridge between the Philippines’ literary energy and Germany’s intellectual tradition. Through her, the Filipino voice did not simply arrive in Frankfurt—it resonated. She showed that literature is also migration, memory, and belonging, and that every Filipino narrative deserves to be preserved and heard.

The diplomacy behind the spotlight

Beyond the stages and exhibitions was a diplomatic effort defined by vision and steadfast commitment. Senator Loren Legarda, long-time champion of Philippine culture, spoke passionately about heritage, imagination, and nationhood—values she has elevated throughout her career. Congressman Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro’s 2nd District represented national leadership, underscoring the inseparable bond between cultural policy and national identity.

Image (left and right): The author of this article with Philippine Consul General Yvette Banzon-Abalos; the author of this article with Philippine Ambassador to Germany Irene Susan B. Natividad.

Equally vital were the tireless efforts of Consul General Yvette Banzon Abalos and the team of the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, working closely with the Philippine Embassy in Berlin under Ambassador Irene Susan B. Natividad. Their months of coordination ensured that books arrived, authors were heard, and the Philippine pavilion shone with clarity and purpose. They formed the invisible architecture of success.

A nation translated

By week’s end, more than sixty Filipino books in German had reached new hands. Filipino authors inspired full audiences. Choirs moved listeners who understood none of the words yet felt every note. The jeepney became a landmark. Maria Ressa became a compass. And through it all, Maria Renker chronicled the unfolding of a literary awakening. 

And as the archipelago unfurled across Frankfurt—in song, in debate, in colour—I realised this: The Philippines did not simply participate in the Buchmesse. It transformed it.