04 December 2023, Stockholm - Ambassador Maria Lumen B. Isleta met with Bookmässan (Gothenburg Book Fair) Director Frida Edman on 30 November 2023, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Ms. Fridman provided a tour of the Bookmässan office and provided a brief background on the event carried out by the organisation. Ambassador Isleta, for her part, shared the cultural activities carried out by the Embassy including the successful implementation of the “Silid-Aralan sa Embahada” (Classroom at the Embassy), which provided an avenue for 2nd and 3rd generation Filipinos to learn and understand Filipino culture, traditions, and stories. Ambassador Isleta also conveyed interest in the Philippines participating in the Book Fair 2024.

Bookmässan is carried out every year at the end of September. It serves as a platform for  reading, literature, and publishing activities which have had a great impact on the Swedish economy, cultural policy, and literary exports. The organizers cooperate with the local government and the media in carrying out the Fair. The fair is known as a safe haven for authors. Through the efforts of the organizers, Gothenburg was named as a UNESCO City of Literature. The Book Fair was founded in 1985.

In 2023, the Book Fair had over 320 seminars where authors of books are able to lecture and give talks as well as some other 4,000 events. About 2,500 authors were invited and about 800 exhibitors and organizations had a booth. The Fair also provided a venue for negotiations on copyrights and publishing. Over 80,000 visitors visited the four-day event.

Also present during the meeting were Honorary Consul David Kristensson, a.h. and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Pat Lester F. Solosa.  END.