Mon, June 18, 2012
WELLINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government is planning a major culture promotion with an army of authors and performers to attend the world's biggest book fair in Germany this year.
More than 60 New Zealand authors and 100 performers would be showcasing New Zealand's artistic talent at the annual Frankfurt Book Fair, in which New Zealand is this year's guest of honor, in October, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage announced Monday.
New Zealand Frankfurt Book Fair director Tanea Heke said New Zealand's diverse creative talents would be on show in a program of art, music, dance and storytelling at venues across Germany.
Performances would span the centuries from traditional indigenous Maori storytelling techniques through to state-of-the- art transmedia storytelling, Heke said in a statement.
The New Zealand guest of honor pavilion, covering 2,300 square meters, would be an "immersive" visitor experience, "like being inside a person's imagination," said Heke.
The New Zealand writers who will feature at the fair include award-winning novelists Lloyd Jones, Witi Ihimaera, CK Stead and Alan Duff, as well as prize-winning poet Bill Manhire.
The government was putting about 5.3 million NZ dollars (4.19 million U.S. dollars) into the event.
The economic benefits for New Zealand were already apparent with a record-breaking number of New Zealand book rights being sold to Germany since the country became guest of honor, said Heke.
At least 76 book titles were being translated and published in Germany this year, compared with an annual average for the past decade of just 10 translations.
One country is chosen every year as guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs from Oct. 10 to 14 this year, and Iceland held the title last year.
The Frankfurt Book Fair attracts about 7,600 exhibitors from 110 countries and about 300,000 visitors annually.
