Graphic novel tells the story of NS victims from Siegen
How can we talk about the Holocaust and reach children and young people? This question is at the heart of a special project that combines art, science and remembrance. The University of Siegen and the Aktive Museum Südwestfalen are bringing history into motion - in lines, colors and images. A conference on "Transnational Remembrance in Graphic Literature" marks the start of a project that will make the fates of Nazi victims from Siegen visible in a graphic novel.
The Holocaust - a crime against humanity, the horror of which can hardly be put into words. But images can open up paths where language reaches its limits. Comics and graphic novels are able to reawaken emotions and memories - especially for younger generations who hardly ever meet contemporary witnesses today. "We want to show that memory does not stand still, but lives on - in artistic forms that touch and educate at the same time," says Dr. Jana Mikota, literature didacticist at the University of Siegen.
The conference (November 13 to 15) begins at the Active Museum South Westphalia. A creative workshop with illustrator Inbal Leitner will kick things off at 4 pm, followed by a public reading at 6 pm: author and artist Stephanie Lunkewitz will read from her book "Ich war Eva Diamant" at the Seminarzentrum am Obergraben in Siegen.
Stephanie Lunkewitz and Inbal Leitner will be joined at the conference by illustrator Lisa Rock. They are all currently working on the graphic novel, which artistically takes up five biographies of victims of National Socialism from Siegen. These stories - of young Jews, forced laborers and euthanasia victims - show how the Nazi terror had an impact even in rural regions. The project aims to document many victims' perspectives in order to show the horrifying breadth of the inhuman ideology.
"Siegen was not a place of great history, but a place where history also took place and with just as many consequences," emphasizes Dr. Jens Aspelmeier, history educator and board member of the Active Museum. "Especially from the perspective of a medium-sized town, it becomes clear how deeply the ideology of National Socialism permeated everyday life."
The artists are supported by contemporary witnesses such as Traute Fries and Peer Ball from Siegen, who contribute their personal memories, research and family stories to the creative process. The result is a multi-layered work that combines historical knowledge, artistic perspectives and individual life stories.
The aim of the project is to make memory visible and tangible - not as a distant chapter, but as a living responsibility. The finished graphic novel will be published by Ariella Verlag and didactically prepared for schools in order to open up new ways for teachers to teach. "We want to build bridges - between past and present, between research, art and education," says Prof. Dr. Daniel Stein. "Because memory is not static. It changes - just like the forms in which we tell it."
The project is being scientifically supported by Dr. Jana Mikota (German Studies), Prof. Dr. Daniel Stein (American Studies and Comics Research) and Dr. Jens Aspelmeier. It follows on from a series of courses and research projects that have been carried out since 2024 with the support of the Future Fund against Anti-Semitism (Ministry of Culture and Science NRW).
Interested members of the public are cordially invited to attend the reading. For better planning, please register with Dr. Jana Mikota: mikota@germanistik.uni-siegen.de
