Visualising Histories: Political Graphic Novels

We've fallen in love with Madgermanes, a story of belonging, identity and power, told in a truly unique visual language. Based on the experiences of Mozambican workers contracted out to East Germany in the 1970s (who later lost their citizenships), Birgit Weyhe's Madgermanes not only dives into a piece of Afro-German history, but does so weaving narrative traditions from two continents, aided by the superb translation into English by Katy Derbyshire. We're delighted to host a discussion about it in collaboration with V&Q books.

The books inspired us to celebrate a fantastic genre that keeps surprising us, we've put together a list of our favourite graphc novels based on political history and social justice. Some of them are also the collective endeavour of fantastic translators working alongside their authors. These books all draw on so much more than words, each enlightening, moving, creating curiosity with a wealth of visual and stylistic language.