Asis Aynan
(Haarlem, NL, 1980) studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. Aynan, the son of Moroccan immigrants, is an active advocate of Berber culture. His debut Veldslag en Andere Herinneringen (Battle and Other Memories) was published in 2007, about his youth or, as he calls it, his "Catholic-Islamic-Berber background". Aynan is the creator of the Berber Library, a series of classics from Berber countries translated into Dutch. He further wrote Ik, Driss (I, Driss, together with Hassan Bahara), the short-story collection Gebed zonder eind (Endless Prayer, 2014) and Linoleumkoorts (Linoleum Fever, 2019). Aynan works as a teacher at Hogeschool van Amsterdam; his articles have appeared in the NRC, Het Parool, Folia and Trouw.
Past events
National Quiz of New Dutch
Now that the Smibanese Dictionary 2.0 of street language has been published, Writers Unlimited is hosting the National Quiz of New Dutch! Come and test your knowledge of New Dutch, which has influences of Turkish, Sranantongo, Papiamento, English and Berber.
Poems from the Berber Library
Poets recited works of the four greatest Rif poets on the occasion of the completion of the Berber Library.
Dream Language
‘Come to me, my language, come back’, Derek Walcott wrote. How does it feel to write in another language than your own? Does this new language also become the language in which you dream? Asis Aynan presents Ahmad Al Malik, Rodaan Al Galidi, Raj Mohan and Chika Unigwe, who will share their experiences. With musical accompaniment by guitarist Lourens van Haaften. In Dutch .
Literature: The Great Whitewasher
Family plays an important part in Nazmiye Oral's columns, Ernest van der Kwast's novel and Ger Beukenkamp's scripts. Asis Aynan talks to them about literature as a way of whitewashing (family) histories. In Dutch.
Wintercafé 1: Godless in Morocco
Three Moroccan writers on the meaning of Mohamed Choukri. With Ali Amazigh, Naima Albdiouni and Mohammed Benzakour. Host: Asis Aynan. In Dutch
The Language of my Heart - Tamazight
Three writers on what the spoken language of Tamazight or Berber means to them: Ahmed Essadki, El-Mahdi Acherchour and Rachida Lamrabet. Presentaton: Asis Aynan. In Dutch.
Berber poetry and prose: In stone I'll write
A conversation on Berber culture. With Ayada Ghamhi, Mohamed el Hadaoui, Ahmed Ziani, Asis Aynan (host). In Dutch.
