Babs Gons
(1971) is a spoken-word artist, writer, host and, as of 2023, Poet Laureate of The Netherlands for two years. For almost a decade, she organised Palabras, a launching stage for young poets and writers. After that, she was artistic director of Poetry Circle Nowhere. Gons performs her urgent, socially committed work at festivals, in literary programmes, museums, debate centres and libraries, and on radio and television. In 2019, she published Hardop (Aloud) a collection she compiled of the work of 18 Dutch spoken- word poets. She debuted her poetry collection Doe Het Toch Maar (Do It Anyway) in 2021. Gons also writes stories, articles and columns. A collection of stories from daily newspaper Het Parool appeared in 2022 under the title Alles Wat Je Liefhebt Wordt Mooi (Everything You Love Becomes Beautiful).
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Playing with Fire: jubilee show 30 years Writers Unlimited
With: Abdelkader Benali, Babs Gons, Claudia Karapanou Flamenco Trio, Eli Wing, Joost Oomen, Koninklijk Conservatorium Dans, Rosabelle Illes, Saartje van Camp, Shirma Rouse, Spinvis, XILLAN, Zaire Krieger
Be warmed by the fire of writers, dancers and musical artists! Writers Unlimited presents Playing with Fire in Amare Den Haag, a show full of literature, music and dance in which words, rhythm, melody and movement meet.
For thirty years, Writers Unlimited has offered a stage to passionate and groundbreaking writers, poets, thinkers, musicians and other performers from the Netherlands and abroad during the International Literature Festival The Hague in January.
In honour of this anniversary, enjoy a unique line-up of artists and writers this wintery Sunday afternoon in the beautiful Amare Danstheater (a five-minute walk from The Hague Central Station).
Writers Unlimited asked well-known artists and authors to perform work in which fire in all its (concrete and abstract) guises - as the germ of artistry and source of inspiration, as a terrifying phenomenon or scorching love, as a symbol of revolution and struggle - takes centre stage.
And so, during Playing with Fire you will hear, see and experience existing and new material by a host of artists: Spinvis (Erik de Jong) and cellist and singer Saartje van Camp sing songs from their show Neveldieren (Misty Animals); forty-five young dancers from the Royal Conservatoire Dance perform Festina Lente by choreographer Tessa Cooke.
Writer and theatre-maker Joost Oomen will recite an essay on the committed poet Federico Garcia Lorca, how to relate as an artist to the turbulent times we live in and the concept of 'duende' - a term from flamenco, one of the most passionate, fiery dance forms there is, of which you will see a beautiful sample this afternoon by the Claudia Karapanou Flamenco Trio (i.c.w. Flamenco Biënnale Nederland). The trio is formed by Claudia Karapanou (dance), Lucas Arango (guitar) and Erminia Fernandez Cordoba (vocals).
Dutch pop artist and Queen of Soul Shirma Rouse performs warming songs from her repertoire and alternative R&B singer-songwriter XILLAN, singing and playing the piano, tells something about the fire under his yet-to-be-published novel. Poet Laureate of The Netherlands Babs Gons, spoken word artist Zaïre Krieger and Aruban artist, poet and performer Rosabelle Illes recite texts written especially for this show about what playing with fire means to them.
The programme will be closed by Pulse conducted by Eli Wing, an occasional percussion formation that will not leave anyone sitting still. Pulse members are Mees Siderius (surdos and other percussion instruments), Remco Menting (cowbell and other percussion instruments), Ruben de Ruiter (conga's) and Mark Ooman (shakers). Writer Abdelkader Benali will guide you through the show and introduce the artists.
Festival motto: On Fire
The 30th festival edition's motto is On Fire. "Fire represents love, desire and passion, but also burning issues such as war, migration and climate," says Judith Uyterlinde, director of Writers Unlimited. "Fire is the source of inspiration for talks and readings on issues including freedom of expression, war and remembrance, gender and eroticism, and a host of other issues that ignite writers, poets and audiences."Festival tip: for the full festival experience, join us for the grand festival events Friday Night Unlimited (24 January) and Saturday Night Unlimited (25 January)! Both nights you choose your own route along some 20 performances, readings and conversations on five stages in Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag. English and Dutch spoken.
From 23 to 26 January 2025, Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague is to be found in theatres, libraries and schools throughout the city: from Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Amare and Paard to Theater Dakota, Theater De Vaillant, the Nieuw Waldeck, Schilderswijk and Ypenburg libraries and De Haagse Hogeschool. With over 120 writers, poets and spoken-word artists and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. With readings, prose, poetry, storytelling, spoken word, author interviews, topical talks, films and music.
Playing with Fire is curated for Writers Unlimited Festival 2025 by Jet Steinz and is realised in cooperation with Amare, with contributions from the City of The Hague and the Dutch Foundation for Literature. -
Verhalen die verbinden (Connecting Stories)
With: Angel ArunA, Arturo den Hartog, Astrid H. Roemer, Babs Gons, Britney Lindo, Daphne Huisden, Fiep van Bodegom, Holland Baroque, Lucretia Starke, Maria Vlaar, Mariëlle Vavier, Nazrina Rodjan, Rabin Baldewsingh, Sarita Bajnath, Shantie Singh, Tessa Leuwsha
Dark, forgotten and forbidden pages: it is taking a long time for the colonial history of the Netherlands to penetrate our collective memory. But history has many forms of transmitting lore, of which stories are the most powerful. They are passed from one continent to another, from generation to generation. And then, with great imagination and creativity, they are recorded in literature, music and language. In this way, the stories come to belong to everyone. This event was in Dutch.
The Winternachten festival afternoon programme Verhalen die verbinden (Connecting Stories) explored Dutch colonial history in our literature, language and music. Prominent Surinamese authors Astrid H. Roemer and Tessa Leuwsha talked in conversations with respectively Maria Vlaar and Fiep van Bodegom about the significance of 150 years of abolition of slavery for them, their country, their relatives and their books. Both published new books in 2023: Astrid H. Roemer wrote the novel DealersDochter (Dealers' Daughter) and Tessa Leuwsha published her De wilde vaart: op zoek naar de veerkracht van Suriname (Tramp trade: the search for the resilience of Surinam).
Author Babs Gons performed spoken word. Authors Tessa Leuwsha and Daphne Huisden read from their contributions to Dat wij zongen (What we sang), the essay collection in which twenty leading writers of today make a case for a Caribbean author of the past who inspired them personally. MariÃ"lle Vavier, deputy Mayor and alderman of the City of The Hague for Poverty, Inclusion and Public Health, gave a speech.
Singer Angel ArunA performed her own work and poems by poet and singer-songwriter Raj Mohan in Sarnámi, the language of people with a Hindustan background in Suriname and The Netherlands. Furthermore soprano Lucretia Starke and countertenor Arturo den Hartog performed, accompanied by six musicians from ensemble Holland Baroque, with their version of Surinamese song Lolo mi boto, among others.
The talks and performances in Zaal 1Â were followed in the theatre foyer by a short post-programme hosted by Sarita Bajnath with contributions and readings by Britney Lindo, writer and spoken word artist, and by Rabin Baldewsingh, writer and, since 2021, National Coordinator against Discrimination, among others.
Also the (English spoken ) evening programme All the World's Excuses on this Winternachten festival day 16 April, focused on the significance of 150 years abolition of slavery. All the World's Excuses took a wider perspective by inviting authors from various backgrounds to speak about the traces left by slavery, apartheid and colonialism in society, storytelling, language and literature: guests were Caleb Azumah Nelson (UK), David Diop (France), Chika Unigwe (USA), Astrid H. Roemer (Surinam), Neske Beks (Belgium) and Radna Fabias (Netherlands).
Bookstore De Vries van Stockum was present in the lobby with a stand offering books by participating authors of this programme, among others â€" including signing opportunities!
This programme was curated by Shantie Singh, author of a.o. the novels Vervoering (2014) and De kier (2020).
With day ticket also to evening programme All the World's Excuses
Verhalen die verbinden was followed on Sunday 16 April as of 19:30h in Theater aan het Spui by the, English spoken, Winternachten festival evening programme All the World's Excuses.
A reduced price day ticket for both festival programmes on 16 April was available.
