The article focuses on the Federal Foreign Office's participation in the conceptual preparation and implementation of the foci of interest of the Frankfurt International Book Fair. The argument proceeds in three steps. First, it is claimed that the very first focus of interest on Latin American literature (1976) goes back to the 1960s when in originated in long-term goals of German development policy. Secondly, the article documents the conflicts between the Foreign Office and the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IfA) during the preparation of the Latin America Colloquium (1976). Thirdly, the connection between the federal government's development policy and the focal topic 'Africa asserts its identity' is put under scrutiny.