You can’t separate waste at all!” he says. She adds: “It only has one syllable.”
These and other caricatures have been hanging in Xanten’s town hall since Thursday, but also in the cathedral, in the youth hostel and in the world shop. They are part of the traveling exhibition “Shining Prospects” run by the Catholic development aid organization Misereor. 40 cartoonists took up the topics of climate change, lifestyle, consumption and justice.
It is a “surprisingly different look at the challenges of our time,” as the climate alliance of municipalities in the Wesel district explains. It brought the exhibition to the Lower Rhine. It can be seen in Xanten until November 11th, then in Rheinberg and other municipalities.
In total there are 99 cartoons about “climate, consumption and other catastrophes”. For example, this cartoon: Two passengers are standing on the railing of a cruise ship, looking out to sea – it is covered in garbage, including colorful plastic bags, and the blue water is barely visible. “I would only allow blue plastic bags,” one passenger said to the other.
With the cartoons, the municipalities want to provide information about a serious topic, but not in a dry way, but in a humorous way. “They are really funny caricatures, but with content and a message,” said Xanten Mayor Thomas Görtz in a press conference before the exhibition. “You inform people, but you entertain them at the same time, and that keeps them interested.”
The Climate Alliance hopes that the cartoons will also reach people who have previously given less thought to the issue. “I expect a lot from this form of communication,” said Xanten’s climate protection manager Lisa Heider. “You have to look at a topic with humor sometimes, then you start talking to people – just always pointing the finger, that doesn’t work,” said Catrin Siebert from the Wesel district.
In order to reach people in different places, the exhibition can be seen in several places. “Youth hostels are a meeting place, we have people of all ages and from all over the world there, and cartoons invite you to talk to each other,” said Konstantina Tsanis, head of the youth hostel. The Christian faith sees the world as God’s creation, and preserving it is the responsibility of each individual, said Matthias Heinrich from the provost community. The topic is becoming more and more serious, which makes it all the more important to stick with it, said Anette Artz from Weltladen.
The exhibition can already be viewed, even if the official exhibition opening is only on Saturday, November 2nd, from 6 p.m. Cabaret artist Anny Hartmann appears. She then discusses the topic: Conversation climate – how conversations about climate protection succeed. Also discussing this are: Norman Schumann from the “Klima vor Acht” association, Kai Zimmermann from the Stiftsgymnasium, Simon Käsbach from the BUND-Jugend NRW and environmental psychologist Alina Schröder. Entry is free. Due to the limited number of places, registration is required to participate:
