Das andere Leben / The Other Life

Thomas Darchinger created the performance "Das Andere Leben "based on a reading of Solly Ganor's autobiography. Solly Ganor was a young Jewish boy who survived the Holocaust and Nazi dictatorship. Through readings from his biography, the dedicated actor has reached over 100 000 individuals, primarily students and teachers. He has contributed to promoting democratic consciousness by performing in many schools throughout Germany. The performance itself consists of reading the selected parts of Solly Ganor's autobiography, with music accompaniment. The reading serves as a starting point for guided discussions and workshops with youngsters on the causes and consequences of nationalism and xenophobia.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the performances and accompanying programs were held in Trebinje, Stolac, Mostar, and Zenica and were open to the public but tailored to youth audiences. From a youth perspective, Slobodan Blagovčanin, a young activist from Bosnia and Herzegovina, moderated workshops with youngsters from these four cities. The discoursive follow-ups were facilitated by Eli Tauber, president of the Jewish Community in Sarajevo and Dr. Ralf Melzer, director of FES Dialogue SOE.

"Das Andere Leben "is a story of a persecuted boy that kept silent for 50 years in Solly Ganor who survived, only to speak out loudly, with a voice from the other life. The story of Solly Ganor shows the personal experiences of a 13 year old boy suffering under Nazi dictatorship, and how his childhood was ended over night. He was even forced on the infamous death marches, as Allied Forces were nearing, and was liberated by American Soldiers on the death march towards the Alps.

The Other Life is an exceptional message about humanity and togetherness to the world. Artistic democracy and the impressions from the artistic reading of such a painful yet necessary autobiography can help bridge the existing gaps in societies ridden by post-conflict narratives and consequences.