Presentations by Dr. Evlampia Tsireli

At "Voices of Liberation," an international conference hosted by the the EU CERV Avalanche Project in April, Fortunoff Video Archive Fellow and Artist-in-Residence Dr. Evlampia Tsireli presented a paper titled “The Promise: Testimony and Post-Liberation Life in a Graphic Novel Metanarrative,” highlighting Sam Profeta’s postwar work in child welfare, inspired by a promise he made while imprisoned in the camps. Drawing on his Ladino testimony from the Fortunoff Archive, the presentation explored how this promise became a source of purpose and resilience during captivity and liberation, ultimately shaping his postwar life and leading to its fulfillment, while also examining how Profeta’s story inspired Tsireli’s scriptwriting process.

This conference brought together scholars and researchers to engage in dialogue on European memory, history, and citizenship.

On June 5th, Dr. Tsireli presented on digital storytelling at the Memory Makers Webinar hosted by Istorima. Dr. Tsireli spoke about "The Promise: Testimony and memory in a graphic novel metanarrative" portraying her work on transforming Sam Profeta’s Ladino Testimony, and her research on his life, into a graphic novel script. Creative storytelling in such a modern literary medium is an example of new ways of telling history and utilizing memory in 21st century.

Istorima (The Greek Archive of Oral History) and the Memory Makers project brought together eleven researchers, archivists, educators, and storytellers to explore how WWII oral history is preserved, activated, and shared in the digital age.

The webinar will be available for viewing during July 2026 on the Memory Makers website https://memory-makers.eu/