Category Archives: Ginger Tea Sessions
… a deep-brown kind of golden
-You can listen to an audio version of this text by clicking the play button-
As always, Read My World set the tone. That Friday, with the conversation between co-curator Maboula Soumahoro and Rokhaya Diallo, the standards for being ‘in conversation’ were lifted sky-high. Be sure to check Read My World.nl for impressions of it. For a great part, the warmth of their conversation springs from a decade-long Sisterhood. As hosts, moderators, interviewers, etc. we’ll speak to many people who we don’t share that connection with. But, what we can do… correction… what we must (continue to) do, is deep-dive and nerd-out and sit with the work of our guests in such a way that we match, or at least come real-real close to those levels of knowing. I’m excited to continue studying the works of Manyaku Mashilo and Larry Achiampong. And, I look forward to our two programs making me feel the way Soumahoro and Diallo’s conversation made me feel: Full. Inspired. And with a face warmed by laughter.
At Rest: A conversation with Manyaku Mashilo
Manyaku Mashilo is a Cape Town-based artist whose multidimensional practice encompasses mixed-media painting, drawing, and collage. Born in Limpopo in 1991, she addresses themes of spiritual identity, memory, ancestry, community and belonging. Mashilo draws on inspiration from photographic archives to build expansive scenes where imagined representatives of Blackness migrate through abstract liminal spaces. These scenes act as celestial cartographies, connecting the depicted Black figures through a felt mutuality of heritage, spirituality, shared ritual and intent.
The basics
Date and time: Wednesday October 22, 19.30u-21.00u.
Location: Theater Bellevue (Amsterdam, close to Leidseplein and Overtoom).
Tickets: €6,50, €9,50 and €15 via this Theater Bellevue-link.
GembertheeSessies with Larry Achiampong
Speaking of artists who make me dream of co-owning a gallery which also has a cinema and a theatre room: Larry Achiampong. I remember seeing only the stills of his film Wayfinder and thinking: “What a wonder to have your journey imagined by someone who loves in landscapes.” And, guessing that this film came from the mind of a person who loves videogames. Since then, I’ve followed his work with great excitement. His book “If It Don’t Exist, Build It” is a favourite on my bookshelves.
Larry Achiampong’s projects employ film, still imagery, aural and visual archives, live performance, objects, sound and game design to explore ideas surrounding class, gender, cross-cultural and digital identity. With works that examine his communal and personal heritage – in particular, the intersection between popular culture and the residues of colonisation, Achiampong crate-digs the vaults of history. These investigations examine constructions of ‘the self’ through the activity of splicing the audible and visual materials of personal and interpersonal archives,
offering multiple perspectives that reveal the deeply entrenched inequalities in contemporary society.
The basics
Date and time: Thursday November 13, 19.00u-21.00u.
Location: Bijlmer Parktheater, Amsterdam.
Tickets: €12,50 via BijlmerParktheater.nl
Theatre recommendations
– Strange Fruit’s, by Sedrig Verwoert and Productiehuis Rotterdam. I was Blown. A-WAY. Please note: Theater De Schuur in Haarlem programmed a Q&A/conversation with Sedrig Verwoert after the play.
– Mimi’s Shebeen, by Alesandra Seutin and KVS. Two years ago, I went to Bruxelles twice to see it. And yes, I’m buying tickets to see it a third time. Excellent, just excellent.
Must watch
If you understand Dutch, be sure to watch Geen Surinamer in de straat (No Surinamese person in the street), the new episode of Andere Tijden featuring Bijlmer icons André Reeder and Ernestine Comvalius.
(Almost) Autumn will be golden
Read My World festival: The Beat of Belonging (Sept. 11-13)
When looking at most literary festivals in the Netherlands, Read My World is the one that feels like it takes place on the other side of the Eurostar tracks. With its emphasis on care, comfort, courage and conversations, Read My World is the Netherlands’ closest thing to the picture I paint when someone asks me: “Imagine having your own bookstore/event venue… what would you do?” Being part of the programming team has been a longtime dream. I don’t know the work-place-equivalent of “Don’t meet your heroes…” but being part of this team continuously underlines my faith in the possibilities of dream teams, dream crews… basically all the dreams.
This year’s festival curators are two thinkers whose words, writings and ways inspire me: Lou Mensah (London) and Maboula Soumahoro (Paris). Here you’ll find the complete festival program. Maryse Condé fans? Meet Maboula Soumahoro, prof. Gloria Wekker, Domenica Ghidei Biidu, Ayaan Abukar, Jorabelle Lukoki, Emma-Lee Amponsah on Saturday Sept. 13 for our Ode to Maryse Condé.
Recently added to that program: Friday September 12, 22.00h – Rokhaya Diallo and Maboula Soumahoro in conversation about their friendship.
Read My World: Win Maboula Soumahoro’s book during BPT jazz bingo
Part of Bijlmer Parktheater’s South East Jazz program, is a BPT jazz bingo. On Saturday afternoon you can win Maboula Soumahoro’s book ‘Black is the Journey, Africana the Name’ and day-tickets to the festival. South East Jazz at Bijlmer Parktheater is on Sat. August 30 and Sun. August 31, both days starting at 14.00h and ending around 17.30h. You’ll find the program here.
FRANK – Cherish Menzo
Since its première on Wednesday July 9 at Theater Bellevue, I’ve talked about FRANK almost every other day. Cherish Menzo‘s mind? Oh my goodness… This play left me full and open and excited and invited to ‘stand up straight and be my tallest self.’ The choreographies, the references from Grenada and Suriname to Christina Sharpe and Mary Shelley… the stage design, the lighting… the presence of Cherish and the three other dancers. After seeing it, and directly buying my ticket for the performance the next day, I texted a few lovedones: “If you have plans tomorrow, I urge you to cancel them. You’ll love this. Let’s meet at Bellevue at 18.15h.” Cherish Menzo is a marvel, truly.
Here, you’ll find the complete playlist for FRANK. I recommend going twice in two different venues. I’ll probably be at most of them. FRANK is a collaboration between Cherish Menzo, GRIP, Theater Utrecht and Dance On Ensemble.
Interlude – Quick note I
Let’s see the plays we love more than once. If you had a great time seeing the work and you can afford another ticket… consider going again. I do it often!
Save the dates: Manyaku Mashilo and Larry Achiampong
If you’re in or can make it to Amsterdam on Wednesday October 22 and/or Thursday November 13, please save those dates. This Autumn, I have the honour and pleasure to be in conversation with Manyaku Mashilo (Wednesday Oct. 22) and Larry Achiampong (Thursday Nov. 13).
Manyaku Mashilo is a Cape Town-based artist whose multidimensional practice encompasses mixed-media painting, drawing, and collage. Born in Limpopo in 1991, she addresses themes of spiritual identity, memory, ancestry, community and belonging. Larry Achiampong’s projects employ film, still imagery, aural and visual archives, live performance, objects, sound and game design to explore ideas surrounding class, gender, cross-cultural and digital identity.
More info on about this in the 2nd week of September. Examples of their work are posted in this 2nd image, with Achiampong’s book being on the bottom right and Mashilo’s being top right.
Recommendation: Strange Fruit’s by Sedrig Verwoert
Listennn, how I hype I’ve been since seeing FRANK? That’s how Romana Vrede was when she told me about Sedrig Verwoert’s Strange Fruit’s. Romana saw a preview of it during a Track at Theater Rotterdam and the way her entire face just shined talking about it?? I’ve been on standby ever since. Throughout the weekend of the Track that the preview for Strange Fruit’s was a part of, I received many, many text messages saying: “You. Must. See. This. Work!” So, tickets bought. I’m excited. Tickets can be bought here.
The gorgeous image with the flower? It’s from Strange Fruit’s, made by Amanda Harput.
Outro – Quick note II
For this weekend’s South East Jazz program, I renamed Bijlmer Parktheater’s theatre space the Pablo Nahar Hall. Because in my dream scenario, someone would send me a text, asking where I am. I’d say: “In the Pablo Nahar Hall, ready to see Ronald Snijders and Djuwa Mroivili. Where are you?” And they’d say: “I’m at the Anne-Marie Hunsel pavilion sipping some tea. Just saw Bahghi perform. Meet me here after an hour?” And, I would. Because we deserve that.
It’s maddd to me how little concert halls and festival stages/spaces in the Netherlands are named after Black musicians. That is, indeed, something for a next note.
(waves)
From Benjamin Clementine and Dakar to Rdam Zuid – Romana Vrede
(English translations below)
“Vrede weet van dimensies. Ze maakt ruimtes voor onze codes omdat ze niet alleen de klank maar ook de grammatica van onze visuele talen kent. En, spreekt. En, is. Vrede weet van diepte. Niet als dal. Maar, als standplaats vanaf waar ze bergen verzet.”
(Notitie uit een gedicht dat ik ooit las voor het meest stille gezelschap waar ik ooit ‘Goedenavond’ tegen zei.)
GembertheeSessies met Romana Vrede – info
Op donderdag 6 februari opent Romana Vrede de GembertheeSessies van 2025. Vrede schuift aan om haar decennia-dikke carrière, werkprocessen, referentiekaders en aankomend werk te bespreken. We gaan van Race, Benjamin Clementine en OustFaust naar The Story of Travis, van Den Haag en Dakar naar Rotterdam-Zuid. En, we blikken vooruit op haar komende projecten: het theaterstuk Sisterhood en de publicatie Tijd Zal Ons Leren, haar 3e boek.
Tijd: 19.30 uur-21.00 uur.
Locatie: Bijlmer Parktheater.
Gedurende het programma serveren we, in samenwerking met Labyrinth Amsterdam, verse gemberthee. Om er zeker van te zijn dat we iedereen meerdere rondes thee kunnen bieden, verzoeken we iedereen hun kaarten in de voorverkoop te halen. Tickets kunnen gekocht worden via deze link.
Grant Jurius en Shehera Grot
Deze GembertheeSessies-illustratie is gemaakt door Grant Jurius. De derde persoon op de illustratie, linksboven, is fotograaf en curator Shehera Grot. De GembertheeSessies met Grot vindt plaats op do. 10 april van 19.30 uur-21.00 uur. Tickets voor deze sessie zijn te koop via deze link. Taal: Nederlands.
Eind januari deel ik de notes over Shehera en Grant + de line-up voor de aankomende BPTUnpacks over social thrillers en horror bekend gemaakt. De presentaties en conversaties tijdens dit programma zullen in het Engels zijn.
Voor wie eens per drie weken per mail een stuk (note, essay, review, etc.) wil ontvangen, is er de mailinglist. Check de zwarte button rechts boven op de homepage. En, eerlijk… ik spam never!
— English translation —
Please note: The conversations during the GembertheeSessies (Ginger tea sessions) with Romana Vrede will be in Dutch. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have the means to offer live translations.
Romana Vrede
“Vrede does dimensions. She creates spaces for our codes because she the tone and the grammar of our visual languages is what she knows. And speaks. And is. Vrede knows depths. Not as pits. But, as a base from where she moves mountains.”
(Note from a poem I once read fort he most quiet group of folks I ever said ‘Good evening’ to.)
GembertheeSessies with Romana Vrede – info
On Thursday January 6, Romana Vrede kicks of the GembertheeSessies (Ginger tea sessions) of 2025. Vrede joins us to discuss her decades-thick career, work processes, frames of reference and upcoming work. We’ll go from Race, Benjamin Clementine and OustFaust to The Story of Travis, from The Hague and Dakar to South Rotterdam. And, we’ll talk about her upcoming projects: Sisterhood (play) and Tijd zal ons leren (book), for example.
Time: 19.30h-21.00h.
Location: Bijlmer Parktheater, Amsterdam.
During the program, and in collaboration with Labyrinth Amsterdam, we serve fresh ginger tea. To make sure we can offer folks multiple rounds of tea, we kindly ask people to buy their tickets in advance. Tickets can be bought here.
Grant Jurius en Shehera Grot
The GembertheeSessies-illustration (to be seen in the Dutch text above) is made by Grant Jurius. Top left we see curator and photographer Shehera Grot. Her GembertheeSessies takes place on Thursday April 10, from 19.30h-21.00h. Tickets for this session can be bought here. Language: Dutch.
Later this month, I’ll share the notes about Shehera and Grant. I’ll also announce the line-up for the upcoming BPTUnpacks about social thrillers/horror. The presentations and conversations during this program will be in English.
If you’d like to receive a 3-weekly e-mail with a piece (note, essay, review, etc.), be sure to join the mailing list. To do so, check the black button on the top right of the homepage. And, honestly… I never spam!
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