Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno
(Suriname, 1993) is a Surinamese author of Javanese descent who mainly writes poetry. She grew up in De Hulp, Commewijne and draws inspiration from culture, nature and social issues. In 2016, she won the Write Now! Audience Award, in 2022 she was a participant of Vrystaat Kunstefees in South Africa and in 2023 one of her poems was featured in the exhibition Famiri Familie of Stadsarchief Amsterdam and Nationaal Archief Suriname. Stefanie is currently working on her debut. She is one of 18 Flemish and Dutch writing talents inspired by works from the Mauritshuis collection in The Hague for the series Oude werken, jonge schrijvers (Old Works, Young Writers). As part of the Writers Unlimited festival, the authors will recite their work live at The Mauritshuis on the evening of Friday 24 January 2025.
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BRADA: theatre play on the fight for freedom in Suriname
With: Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno, XILLAN
Theatre company LUSU plays BRADA, a compelling performance about freedom and justice through the eyes of Javanese-Surinamese freedom fighters. Five friends take you back to the turbulent 1970s and 1980s in Suriname, a time of change and independence.
In cooperation with Writers Unlimited, prior to BRADA, a free supporting act will be on show from 19:30 in the foyer of Theater De Vaillant with performances by alternative R&B musician XILLAN and, from Suriname, by poet Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno.
The multidisciplinary performance BRADA shows the impact of centuries of oppression and personal stories of Surinamese people fighting for freedom, with humour, music, dance and confrontation. A love letter to the older generation, BRADA offers insight into survival mechanisms and forgotten freedom fighters.
LUSU creates theatre experiences for the tiktok generation. Fast-paced, socially stimulating scenes mixed with self-written alternative pop, R&B and rap, intimate visuals, narrative and connecting food. LUSU broaches difficult and unspoken topics in a personal way and manages to deliver them with humour and lightness. LUSU makes non-Western storytelling accessible to a wide audience in a modern way. LUSU is under the artistic direction of Dewi Kasmo and was founded by her in 2016 out of the need to create a place she had not yet found in the existing theatre world.
XILLAN (1993, Paramaribo) grew up in Suriname with his twin brother Jeangu and came to the Netherlands in 2016 to study at the pop department of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He developed into a successful singer-songwriter of alternative R&B and writer. XILLAN's music offers a poetic view of the world and his multiple cultural background. Similar to artists like Omar Apollo, Steve Lacy and Daniel Caesar, he creates a unique sound that reflects current times. In 2022, XILLAN releases his debut EP Crowning Gods; in early 2025, his first novel, Mensen als zonnen en mensen als manen (People Like Suns and People Like Moons) tells of growing up as a Black queer boy in Suriname and how notions of masculinity affect an individual's life. Besides the novel, XILLAN is working on a theatre performance and a new music album. On Sunday 25 January 2025, he is one of the artists performing in the Writers Unlimited jubilee show Playing with Fire at Amare, The Hague.
Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno (Suriname, 1993) is a author of Javanese descent who mainly writes poetry. She grew up in De Hulp, Commewijne and draws inspiration from culture, nature and social issues. In 2016, she won the Write Now! Audience Award, in 2022 she was a participant of Vrystaat Kunstefees in South Africa and in 2023 one of her poems was featured in the exhibition Famiri Familie of Stadsarchief Amsterdam and Nationaal Archief Suriname. Stefanie is currently working on her debut. She is one of 18 Flemish and Dutch writing talents inspired by works from the Mauritshuis collection in The Hague for the series Oude werken, jonge schrijvers (Old Works, Young Writers). As part of the Writers Unlimited festival, the authors will recite their work live at The Mauritshuis on the evening of Friday 24 January 2025.
CREDITS BRADAScript: Dewi Kasmo
Choreography: Rudolf Doelasan
With: Dewi Kasmo, Rudolf Doelasan, Gianluca Koeswanto, Santhino Piqué, Tyler Koudijzer, RyanTino Troenokarso, Gilbert Madnoersan
Composition and music: Nina Giampaolo
Costume and set design: Maite Prince
Costume manufacture: Lisa Maartense
Set building: Einstein Design
Dramaturgy: Mathieu Charles
Direction: Samora Bergtop
Direction assistant: Lindsey Soetodrono
Technique: Youri Wezenaar, Robert Jan Schmidt
Videography: Gilbert Madnoersan
Photography: Michelle Urbiztondo, Jaap Kroon
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Oude werken, jonge schrijvers | Het alternatief (Old works, young writers | The alternative)
With: Aska Hayakawa, Dan Afrifa, Emilie Pariel, emma ydiers, Frances Welling, Helen Weeres, HIlde Onis, Jan Wester, L.J. de Brouwer, Lennert De Vroey, Lin An Phoa, Mei-yun Boswinkel, Mieke 'Mik' Schelstraete, Naomi van Kleef, Roan Kasanmonadi, Sad Banana, Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno, Wietse Leenders
In the series Oude werken, jonge schrijvers (Old works, young writers), eighteen Flemish and Dutch writing talents who took part in deBuren's 2024 writing residency are inspired by works from the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
The common theme is The Alternative: the young makers looked at the centuries-old paintings with an eye for alternative history and bring them to life in short, powerful texts in their own artistic language. With poetry, prose, essays and song lyrics, they let you experience the old works in a unique way.The young makers recite their texts live in the Mauritshuis during the Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague on Friday evening 24 January 2025, start 18:30 hours, end 20:00 hours. The performances will be in Dutch.
Festival tip: afterwards, walk from the Mauritshuis to Theater aan het Spui in ten minutes. From 20:00 (doors open from 19:00), the grand festival night Friday Night Unlimited will start there and in the adjacent Filmhuis Den Haag on five stages. Choose your own route along the many readings, talks and performances by many foreign and Dutch authors and artists.
Authors
Aska Hayakawa, Dan Afrifa, Emilie Pariel, emma ydiers, Frances Welling, Helen Weeres, Hilde Onis, Jan Wester, Lennert De Vroey, Lin An Phoa, L.J. De Brouwer, Mei-yun Boswinkel, Mieke 'Mik' Schelstraete, Naomi van Kleef, Roan Kasanmonadi, Sad Banana, Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno and Wietse Leenders.
Some authors can also be seen and heard elsewhere in the festival edition 2025. Stefanie Parisius-Sewotaroeno and singer XILLAN perform as the support act of the theatre production BRADA about Surinamese freedom fighters in Theater De Vaillant (pay what you can for a ticket here). Authors L.J. de Brouwer, Naomi van Kleef, Wietse Leenders, Hilde Onis, Helen Weeres and Jan Wester perform on Saturday afternoon 25 January 2025 in the foyer of Theater aan het Spui during the Open Mic event of The Hague poetry collective FFÛH (13-14 hours, admission free).
The texts of these 18 authors will be published early December 2024 in a special of Dutch literary magazine De Revisor, flanked by new work by five alumni writing residents: Frank Heinen (writing residency 2013), Alma Mathijsen (writing residency 2015), Bob Vanden Broeck (writing residency 2017), Amarylis De Gryse (writing residency 2019) and Zindzi Tillot Owusu (writing residency 2023). Order a copy of the Revisor-special Het alternatief here on the website of De Revisor.
The deBuren writing residency
Every summer since 2012, Flemish-Dutch house deBuren has been taking up-and-coming writing talent from the Low Countries to Paris on a writing residency. They stay there for a fortnight to get to know each other's work and ideas across borders and to work on new material.
In Oude werken, jonge schrijvers, the 2024 batch of young writers will bring paintings from the 17th-century collection of museum the Mauritshuis in The Hague to life in a unique way in short prose, poetry and audio stories. Our question to them was as simple as it was challenging: write a new text about an old work, starting from one key question: what do you see when you look at these artefacts with an eye for 'The Alternative', alternative history?
All texts of Oude werken, jonge schrijvers are published in literary magazine De Revisor, and can be read and listened to in deBuren's digital Magazine and on the website of cultural organisation de lage landen.
Find more information on the writings residency on the website of deBuren here.Oude werken, jonge schrijvers is organised by Flemish-Dutch house deBuren in collaboration with Mauritshuis, De Revisor and Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague.
