Live reportage "The new Syria" at the Bocholt comprehensive school

Award-winning photojournalist Lutz Jäkel will be presenting his live reportage "The New Syria" in the auditorium of Bocholt Comprehensive School on Saturday, 21 March 2026. In a multimedia presentation, he will shed light on the current transformation of the country after years of war and destruction. The event provides profound insights into the reality of life for the local people and their hopes for a new future.

From 19:00, Jäkel will take the audience on a journey through a country that is at a decisive turning point after decades of dictatorship and conflict. Admission to the auditorium of the comprehensive school begins at 18:30.

Jäkel has known Syria for over thirty years. He lived in Damascus for a time and travelled to the country time and again. He was unable to return for a long time after the war began. It was only after the political changes at the end of 2024 that he travelled to Syria again and met people who had stayed or returned after years in exile. His reportage tells of reunions with old friends, memories of difficult times - and cautious hope for a new future. The lecture is an impressive search for traces in a country that is deeply scarred, but whose people have not lost their confidence.

Lutz Jäkel has received several awards for his photographic work and live reports. His current reportage "The New Syria" was awarded 2nd prize as "Best Lecture" at the international El Mundo Lecture Festival in 2025. A photo series from Syria was awarded 1st place in the EISA Maestro Photo Contest in the category "Street Life". The evening is aimed at all those interested in photography as well as citizens who are interested in the political and human developments in the Middle East.

The event is organised by the Bocholt-Rhede-Isselburg Adult Education Centre in cooperation with the Volunteer Agency and the Integration Office of the City of Bocholt. Participation is recommended from the age of 16. Admission is free of charge. An entrance fee of 3 euros on a donation basis will be gladly accepted at the entrance. For organisational reasons, please register in advance. For more information, please contact the VHS office in Bocholt, Industriestr. 1, the Rhede and Isselburg branches or vhs.bocholt.de.