ErinnerungsZeit – an animated Graphic Novel

With the official end of the second World War, the National Socialist illegitimate state’s crimes came to an end. Nevertheless, inhumane phenomena, such as discrimination, hate (speech), racism and persecutions still exist today. Especially marginalised groups, whose voices are barely heard by the majority of society, continue to be systematically excluded. Consequently, their experiences and stories are not represented evenly in the official culture of remembrance in Germany, despite these people being persecuted during National Socialism.

According to the survey “policy matters” (2020, DIE ZEIT), 75% of all youths between 14 and 19 years would like to know more about the National Socialist illegitimate state. The confrontation with history could sensitise youth for forms of racism and discrimination. Digital formats that can be used by youths outside classrooms are central for them to form awareness independently of the consequences of the National Socialist state in the present time.

The project “ErinnerungsZeit – an animated Graphic Novel” creates a digital learning space in order to strengthen critical historical awareness and media expertise of young people. The dialogue oriented and peace educational approach promotes empathy towards marginalised groups. Jews, Sinti and Roma, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPoC) and other groups are given the opportunity to render their experiences and perspectives visible. The format of graphic novels is particularly suitable for processes of accounting for historical events, as it illustrates complex story lines combining graphic and text. This way, they encourage youths to engage critically in media consumption and media production (Clark, 2013; William 2008).

The graphic novel addresses the following topics:

• Sinti and Roma and Antiziganism
• Jews and Antisemitism
• BIPoC and Racism
• Descendants of perpetrators, discrimination and shame
• Multiple discrimination
• Resistance and privilege-conscious and discrimination-sensitive conduct
• Disinformation and conspiracy theories

In an interdisciplinary university seminar, a group of students will contribute as peers to the creation of the graphic novel. The students develop the storylines of the graphic novel in collaboration with the project partners and the project team and they meet and interact with the representatives of the groups whose views and voices the graphic novel aims to disseminate. Mutual empathy developed throughout the process can contribute to the (self-)empowerment of all participants. This interactive concept by itself invites diverse and also contradictory perspectives to be shared during the development process and, thus, promotes a multi-perspective, participatory and respectful culture of remembrance of the National Socialist era.

A German-speaking social media campaign to promote the graphic novel will create a virtual place where young people and multipliers can engage with the experiences of people who were discriminated against and persecuted during the National Socialist era and after 1945.

The artistically designed, animated and interactive graphic novel enables youth in an innovative way to deal with the topics of the National Socialist illegitimate state, resistance and persistent discrimination after 1945 in an explorative and independent way and to acquire corresponding knowledge. By actively contributing to a multi-perspective, inclusive and participatory National Socialist remembrance culture, youth simultaneously strengthen their awareness of (their own) privileges.

A tailor-made social media campaign, as well as workshops and teaching materials specifically directed at multipliers in schools and extracurricular historical-political educators will contribute to the target group orientation of the project.

The project’s target groups are youth aged 14 to 17 and multipliers of historical-political education, who contribute to the dissemination of the graphic novel by using it in both formal and extracurricular education.

The project’s key actors are youth between 18 and 30 years of age, who contribute to the development of the graphic novel as peers.

Funding

The project "ErinnerungsZeit - an animated Graphic Novel" is funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda National Socialist Injustice.

Partners

Partners involved in the implementation are the association „Verband Deutscher Sinti & Roma Landesverband Baden-Württemberg (VDSR BW)“, the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial as part of the Hamburg Memorial Foundation and Places of Learning in Memory of the Victims of National Socialist Crimes and Asamblea Desobediente.