Even when partial paralysis struck her at age 60, she remained unyielding. Her brush still moved, her voice still echoed. Through disability and displacement, she continued to create and illuminate the truth. Koban once wrote, “Writers believe that light is a necessity for life.” Her life was a living embodiment of that credo. A seeker of justice, a champion of expression, and a witness to the pain and beauty of a nation in flux—Sima Koban’s legacy endures not only in her books and paintings but in the enduring spirit of those who dare to speak, even when the night is dark.
