continue working | Issam Al Najm „Resistance against oppression“

„weiterwirken-Frauen im Widerstand“ is dedicated to the often overlooked life stories of women from Bochum who offered resistance during the National Socialist era – politically, civically, culturally and mostly in secret.

In an installation, pictures and texts, we make female resistance visible, memories are brought to life in an animated film and local resistance stories are told from a current perspective.

„I’m taking part because the voice of all women against oppression remains louder.“ – Issam Al Najm

Issam Al Najm was born in Alsuayda (Syria) in 1984 and studied electrical engineering. He began writing his own texts at the age of ten. His poems, which he writes in both Arabic and German, have appeared in various publications. In 2018, he was awarded first prize in the literature competition of the Bochum Literary Society. Since 2017, he has been involved in the ‘Neu in Deutschland’ (New in Germany) project.

Dorothee Schäfer trained as a stonemason and sculptor in Munich. During her ten years working for the Protestant parish of Bochum in Stahlhausen, she organised various exhibitions and festivals, including the Masala Art Festival and the bobiennale. In her artistic practice, she specialises in sculpture and drawing. Schäfer has been supporting the Fritz Bauer Forum for several years with her expertise in exhibition curation and educational work through art.

A project of the Fritz Bauer Forum