PT Kanisius’ Participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair
A small talk with Father Stefan Kieschle, S.J., during breakfast at the Ignatiushaus refectory, Frankfurt am Main, Elsheimer Straße 9, began the dynamics of PT Kanisius at the Frankfurt Book Fair last October. In the conversation, Father Kieschle, SJ, delegate for Ignatian Spirituality and editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine “Stimmen der Zeit,” told of the challenges of secularism in the European Church. Currently, there are almost no young people interested in coming to Church. The weekly Eucharist is only attended by a handful of the senior generation. Responding to this situation, Father Kieschle, SJ, who previously served as the Provincial of the German Province, consistently testified to the embodiment of faith amidst the current of secularism. “The important thing is to continue to do Evangelical good” was the action taken together by the Jesuit community at Ignatiushaus. We then found this sentence to have a more fundamental meaning in our duties as exhibitors at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2024.
PT Kanisius is present for the seventh time at the world’s oldest international book event since Indonesia was selected as Guest of Honor (GoH) in 2015. Since then, PT Kanisius has been known as an active “Indonesian Catholic Publisher” because it has participated every year as a co-exhibitor for the Indonesian government. The 2015 moment was the beginning of PT Kanisius’ involvement, the only Catholic publisher and the only one from the region, as a partner of the Indonesian Government at the Frankfurt Book Fair forum.
I am grateful that in 2015, PT Kanisius passed the curation as a co-exhibitor in presenting a portrait of Indonesian literacy culture. As stated by the President of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Juergen Boos, this event is an opportunity to introduce the richness and diversity of culture from various regions in different parts of the world. This forum is a place of expression to introduce the cultural identity of a nation. Books with a variety of good content are one of the essential elements that form culture and civilization. Kanisius, who has been struggling as a book publisher for more than a century, should make a visible contribution to the performance of Indonesian books in this international book event.
In a disruptive era like today, the book industry needs to be more active. This situation made us doubt whether we would continue to provide ourselves to contribute to presenting the face of Indonesia with the Catholic literature that we produce at the international forum Frankfurt Book Fair. This year, somehow, Indonesia seems reluctant to consistently present itself as a country with a culture of literacy. Several fellow book business players in Jakarta discussed the government’s tendency to pay more attention to creative business fields that provide income and investment opportunities more quickly, such as culinary or crafts. Even though they are recognized as having the intellectual power to support culture, books must be admitted as being slow to provide economic benefits with all their literacy activities. This phenomenon places book business players at a crossroads, in tension between idealistic roles and economic demands that are not easily reconciled.
In a meeting before leaving for Frankfurt, Father Leo Agung Sardi, SJ, had stated, “Good actions, even if they are continuously carried out, do not seem to produce much. But if they are not carried out, there will be many shortcomings.” This statement was made in response to the confusion of the PT Kanisius management team in facing the challenges of such rapid changes that have an impact on the tendency for everything to be instant. Father Leo Agung Sardi, SJ’s statement aligns with Father Stefan Kieschle, SJ, at the beginning of this article, inviting us to remain consistent in giving testimony of faith amidst the current times.
The journey to attend the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair felt different now. Not because of the tremendous economic prospects of the book business we saw but because of the depth of meaning of our presence, PT Kanisius, with its Catholic uniqueness amid the world’s literacy scene. A small conversation with Father Kieschle SJ upon our initial arrival in Frankfurt, as well as the statement of Father Leo Agung Sardi, SJ, before leaving for Frankfurt, felt like a spiritual conversation that equipped us to dive into the Frankfurt Book Fair this time not merely as a business trip, but also a spiritual journey that affirms our mission.
Unlike previous years, in 2024, the Indonesian Government will no longer provide sponsorship for book publishers to present the existence of Indonesian literacy at the Frankfurt Book Fair. However, unexpectedly, there were “traveling companions,” fellow fighters on the frontier of the book world, who were willing to work together to share the burden to be able to continue to be present together in this international book scene. We believe our presence is still needed to keep the spirit of literacy alive in Indonesia. If, in the pre-independence era, Kanisius took part in the struggle for the existence of the Indonesian nation through the printing of movement magazines and ORI (Oeang Repoeblik Indonesia), then currently, PT Kanisius continues to take part in the existence of the Indonesian nation in the world literacy culture arena. The presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair is a form of manifestation of faith in the unique mission of PT Kanisius, bringing joyful news to the literacy stage and voicing depth amidst the spread of economic, political, and lifestyle issues.
For PT Kanisius, the crossroads in the book business became a moment of discretion to listen to God’s voice about the direction to take in the spirit of Creative Loyalty. With the pace of the times, PT Kanisius faces the challenge of remaining true to its identity, creatively making relevant breakthroughs and presenting its work as the fruit of its mission.
Contributor: Mg Sulistyorini and Peter Satriyo Sinubyo
