Blog post by Luzie Kothera

EVZ Young Voice Luzie Kothera looks back on Histoday 2026

[Translate to englisch:] Blogbeitrag

Luzie Kothera covered both days of EVZ Histoday 2026 as a reporter. In her blog post, she shares her impressions. She interviewed the creators of Liberation Dance, Natalie Reinsch and Philipp Mangels of Swing Man Tau e. V., and spoke with them about how the event came to be and the importance of collective remembrance initiatives.

Who would have thought that an event like Histoday – the anniversary event of the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) – would begin with colorful lights, puppet theater and a big band? The first Berlin Histoday opened on the evening of May 7, 2026, not only with remarks by CEO Dr. Andrea Despot and a very interesting panel by Dr. Ljiljana Radonić on the topic of European Memory Politics: Democratic and Authoritarian Interventions in the Era of Victim Competition, but above all with Bubales the Jewish puppet theater from Berlin, directed by Shlomit Tripp. 

Bathed in colorful light, two puppets converse on the small stage – puppets that look like Konrad Adenauer and David Ben-Gurion, or represent an Israeli and a German teenager visiting Auschwitz. Both sketches made the audience laugh and frown – and certainly gave them plenty to talk about. The evening ended with a concert by a big band, which performed various jazz pieces as well as Jeepers Creepers – the melody of the Liberation Dance. Ultimately, the opening event probably reflected the entire Histoday perfectly: it showed that remembrance, politics and culture are never black and white. It made clear how many aspects of history still need to be re-examined – and how important it is to work together, talk and listen to one another.

The first two workshops of the day just fly by. Presentations in English people from Europe and around the world, all researching or working on different topics and yet talking about the same thing: How do we remember today? Lots of ideas and some differing views, but the discussions remain measured – driven by curiosity and an exchange of experiences. One day is not enough to visit all the thematic rooms with their various discussions, presentations and panels. There was a wide selection and a great variety of topics, which made choosing workshops difficult. 

The first workshop I attended was a good introduction to the day ahead. Annemarie Hühne-Ramm spoke about Remembrance in a Corporate World and offered valuable ideas on how a culture of remembrance can be practiced and implemented in former perpetrator institutions. Her presentation linked the culture of remembrance to practical approaches and examples that many listeners could relate to. The second workshop in the same thematic room opened up an entirely new field for me. Antisemitism in the GDR: Blind Spots in Postwar Memory? was, as the workshop showed, not only unfamiliar to me, but also a largely unknown or repressed topic more broadly.

During the lunch break, I enjoy a few rays of sunshine on the roof terrace of the FRIZZ Forum before rejoining the crowd, where everyone is deep in conversation, networking and enjoying the delicious buffet. People exchange impressions from the first two workshops, make plans for the rest of the day, and enjoy the view of the blooming chestnut trees and the Berlin TV Tower. Lunch gave me my first opportunity to get to know Natalie and Philipp from Swing Man Tau e. V. in Bremen a little better and discuss questions for a short interview. We had already met on the dance floor the night before, when Natalie introduced the steps of the Liberation Dance for the first time. During the interview and the workshop that followed, I was able to learn more about the history and persecution of the Swing Youth. Although the first two workshops I attended that day had already sparked discussion and conversation, Natalie and Philipp’s workshop got me on my feet. Juxtaposing a swing song from the 1940s with a popular German Schlager from the same period immediately made clear why swing posed such a threat to the Nazi dictatorship. 

“Anyone who has swing in them can no longer march in step,” as concentration camp survivor Coco Schumann (cf. Mützelfeldt 2018) aptly put it. Swing developed out of oppressed African American culture and has therefore always not only stood for resistance and joie de vivre despite difficult circumstances, but above all for individualism and freedom. The music and dance are therefore much freer and less bound by convention than anything else that existed at the time. Young people who played, listened to and danced to swing music were therefore persecuted by the Nazis. They deliberately distanced themselves from the uniformity of the Hitler Youth and its “values and virtues” by drawing inspiration from the Americans and British in the way they dressed, wore makeup and styled their hair. Girls wore makeup and red lipstick, which was frowned upon in Nazi Germany, while boys wore their hair long, in contrast to the military-style short haircuts of the time. For their love of swing music and fashion, the Swing Kids, as some of them called themselves, were persecuted and punished. Some of them were even imprisoned or sent to concentration camps – yet nothing could make them give up their love of swing.

After this workshop full of movement, another especially emotional part of the program followed for me: People with Learning Disabilities as Guides at the Memorial to the Victims of Euthanasia Murders in Brandenburg an der Havel: Ideas – Implementation – Prospects. This workshop was held in German, partly because it was led by a woman with learning disabilities. She herself works as a guide at the Memorial to the Victims of Nazi “Euthanasia” Murders in Brandenburg an der Havel and, together with the museum educator there, offered valuable insight into her work. The two not only spoke about the memorial’s concept but, above all, about the guided tours offered there by people with learning disabilities, which have been met with great interest. The memorial takes a highly inclusive approach, incorporating the ideas of all staff members and placing strong emphasis on self-determination. The way the guide and museum educator described the individual fates of victims of the so-called “euthanasia” murders gave all those listening a sense of how moving and gripping the guided tours at the memorial must be. The workshop offered a very clear picture of the steps and thought processes needed to make a culture of remembrance accessible to everyone.

With these emotional impressions of difficult topics still fresh in mind, the final item of the day took us outside for some fresh air: onto Friedrichstraße, which had been closed off and where a stage had been set up. To the sounds of Louis Armstrong’s Jeepers Creepers, Natalie once again led everyone through the steps of the Liberation Dance, which was danced simultaneously in six cities across two countries on May 8, 2026. It is not only intended to commemorate the persecuted and murdered Swing Kids, but also to make an active statement of remembrance for the crimes of the Nazi era and the end of World War II. And whilst perhaps not all the passers-by who stopped to listen to the music fully understood the significance of the shared dance, it still created something we could all use right now: smiles on people’s faces and a sense of solidarity that went beyond the dancers’ joined hands.

Three Questions for... Natalie Reinsch and Philipp Mangels, initiators of the Liberation Dance

The Histoday 2026 in Pictures