Francine Mayran, an artist and psychiatrist from Strasbourg, visited Germany to present her Suitcase Project at the Gewerbeschule Breisach and the Walter-Eucken-Gymnasium and Kaufmännische Schulen I in Freiburg. Together with Sandra Butsch from the Blue House in Breisach and Friedrich Peter, a historian from Kehl who is responsible for the Stolpersteine 67 project, she engaged in dialogue with students.
Francine Mayran, who is Jewish herself, devotes her work to exploring genocides globally. To raise awareness among young people about the rising tide of antisemitism, racism, and extremism, she shared many of her works, particularly depictions of those affected and the memories of those who perished, and spoke about her research and experiences.
One of her portraits depicts Esther Bejarano, a German survivor of the Auschwitz orchestra who passed away in 2021. The students listened to recordings of Bejarano and her band, “Rap Microphone Mafia,” while Francine Mayran spoke about the lives and resilience of Auschwitz survivors.
She also highlighted portraits of Sinti and Roma individuals who were sterilized or murdered during the Nazi era.
Mayran then presented her “own suitcase,” filled with items that symbolize what she carries forward as a legacy and responsibility. The suitcase reflects her drive to fight against racism and antisemitism through art and education. She shared portraits of her great-uncle René Klein, a resistance fighter who died for France, executed in Blond (near Oradour), as well as the remarkable drawings and poems of her cousin Bettina Klein, who was also a refugee in Blond. Additionally, she displayed caricatures by her maternal grandfather, which were published in the newspaper “Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace”. She conveyed to the students her understanding of resistance and its critical importance.
As a follow-up, the students will create their own suitcases, reflecting on the experiences of individuals from the former districts of Baden and Saarpfalz, as well as the de facto annexed Alsace during the Nazi era. Sandra Butsch will oversee the project as it progresses. Francine Mayran will also present her project at the Hugo-Höfler-Realschule in Breisach and at the Lycée & UFA Jean-Frédéric Oberlin in Strasbourg. The completed “suitcases” will be exhibited at Art’Rhena on April 2, 2025.
