Ahmadjan und der Wiedehopf

In her comic, Maren Amini weaves together the story of her father Ahmadjan’s flight from his homeland with the Persian epic “Konferenz der Vögel”; Ahmadjan travels through the same valleys as the birds in the classic tale. Maren Amini depicts her father as a caricature – with a thick nose and a tousled head, which is repeatedly ruffled by the events he encounters along the way. A drawing style full of lightness that transcends the hardships of flight. “Ahmadjan und der Wiedehopf” also depicts the clash of cultures: in Germany and Afghanistan, but also within Afghanistan itself. Amini illustrates how her father comes to Kabul from the barren provinces and discovers a vibrant cultural scene where Afghan and Western styles intermingle – a scene that has now been wiped out by the many wars. The comic “Ahmadjan und der Wiedehopf” is a book about Afghanistan’s rich culture and history – and a book that also encompasses the many birds that are lost along the way. Maren Amini’s father is one of the few who made it.