Rudy Kousbroek
(Pematang Siantar, 1929 - Leiden, 2010) came to the Netherlands in 1946. In 1951 he published his first collection of poems Tien variaties op het bestiale (Ten variations on bestiality). He has a varied oevre to his name, consisting of many essay collections concerned with diverse subjects. One of which was Het Oostindisch kampsyndroom. Terug naar Negri Pan Erkoms (1995) (The East-Indies Camp syndrome. Back to country of origin), about our colonial past. It offers a refreshing insight on the how and the why of Kousbroek's unique vision of the colonial past. As part of a 400 years Netherlands-Japan relationship Kousbroek, together with film-maker Hans Keller, made the royal journey again. This resulted in an unparalleled journey through time, full of revelations and discoveries. The book In de tijdmachine door Japan (In the time machine through Japan) (2000) forms the background of the film that Hans Keller made for the VPRO. Kousbroek died in 2010.
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Archive available for: Rudy Kousbroek
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In memoriam Henk van Woerden
In November of last year the painter, writer and non-conformist thinker Henk van Woerden suddenly died. As a contrary thinker he was involved in Winternachten for years, both as artistic advisor and as Winternachten foundation boardmember. In a special programme we'll remember him together with his publisher Joost Nijsen, Nicole van Woerden-Müller, and writers and musicians. South African poet and writer Breyten Breytenbach will talk about Van Woerden as a painter and photographer. There will be readings from his novels Tikoes, Moenie Kyk Nie, Een mond vol glas, the collection Notities van een luchtfietser and his last novel, Ultramarijn. Van Woerden was a great lover of Greek music. He played the bouzouki in a Greek ensemble, which will perform tonight under the name To Trigono. Dutch/English spoken.
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Film: Rudy Kousbroek's choice from the film archieves of the Dutch East-Indies '42-'45
Historical film from the Dutch Film Museum from the period 1942-1945, selected by and commented live by writer Rudy Kousbroek.
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Liberators, occupants and freedom fighters
Japan as the liberator of Indonesia. It is an image that is not accepted by the Ducth. Last year a Japanese movie, Merdeka, showed that general Japanese view on history. How different are the views on the common past of Japan, The Netherlands and Indonesia? Paul van der Gaag (VPRO radio) talks to Goenawan Mohamad, Indonesian poet and journalist, the Dutch writer Rudy Kousbroek, and Japan-expert Rikki Kersten. English spoken, and illustrated with historic film fragments.
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Live Anthology
With: Arahmaiani, Aya Zikken, Breyten Breytenbach, Dan Jacobson, Denis Henriquez, Frank Martinus Arion, Gerrit Komrij, Henk van Woerden, Jit Narain, Michiel van Kempen, Pim de la Parra, Rendra, Rudy Kousbroek, Soli Philander
The final programme in this festival was a 'live anthology', composed by writers reading their favourite poems and prose-fragments from the literatures of each other's cultures. In this way a colourful anthology was created from Surinamese, Indonesian, Antillian, Dutch and South-African literature.
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A Search for East-Indian South-Africa
Rudy Kousbroek and Henk van Woerden went on a search for East-Indian South-Africa. Descendants of Dutch East-Indian slaves and dissidents, who were deported to the Cape-province, were called 'Malay'. In the 17th and 18th century they raised against the Dutch rulers. Kousbroek and Van Woerden went for a search for what is left of the Malay culture the Cape.
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East- and West-Indian Winternight
With: Aart van Zoest, Arahmaiani, Arthur Japin, Astrid H. Roemer, Basha Faber, Coen Pronk, Cynthia Mc Leod, Frank Martinus Arion, Gamelan Ensemble Widosari, Grupo Zamanakitoki, Helga Ruebsamen, Michaël Zeeman, Monique Hoogmoed, Paula Gomes, Paulette Smit, Radhar Panca Dahana, Rudy Kousbroek, Shrinivási, Toeti Heraty, Warih Wisatsana
The third edition of the Indische Winternacht, this time from the East and West-Indiest. Apart form artists from Indonesia and The Netherlands, now also writers, musicans and story-tellers from Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles were invited.
Michaël Zeeman and Aart van Zoest interviewed the participating writers after their performance. They were introduced by Nelleke Noordervliet.
In the theatre programme: gamelan-music by Ensemble Widosari, stories by Coen Pronk, Moniek Hoogmoed and Paulette Smit and music by Eric Calmes and his Antillian-Dutch band Grupo Zamanakitoki.
In the film programme unique movies from the Dutch archives were shown: the first documentaries on the Dutch East-Indies, made in the beginning of the 20th century by J.C. Lammers, commissioned by the Colonial Institute. Furthermore the film Faya Lobbi , the classic documentary on Suriname from 1960 by Herman van der Horst, and Ava en Gabriel , the Antilliaanse movie from 1990 by Felix de Rooy and Norman de Palm.
