has existed since 1989 and plays modern West African music. She introduced Mandingo music in the Netherlands. Despite the use of modern instruments the traditional sound is preserved, especially thanks to singer Idrissa Magassa, guitarist Zoumana Diarra and drummer Dramame Diarra. Benkadi's unique style is a powerful combination of old folksongs, singing the praise of general social moral values and modern swinging music. Also with Richard Has: bass, Bas Blanken: guitar and Mamour Sack: percussion.

(The Netherlands, 1946) grew up in a family with a past in the Dutch East Indies. He draws on these experiences in several of his works such as My Father's War (1995), Repatriated (2002) and in Naar zachtheid en een warm omhelzen (2023). Van Dis became well known via his literary television programme Here is... Adriaan van Dis (1983-1992). In addition to novels he has written novellas, travelogues, essays and plays. He presented TV documentary series and his podcast Van Dis Ongefilterd. He has received the Constantijn Huygens Award for his entire body of work. Recent publications are the collection Vijf vrolijke verhalen (2021), the novel KliFi, woede in de republiek Nederland (2022) and the essay De kolonie mept terug: over witte arrogantie en voortschrijdend inzicht: een denkoefening en leesreis (2024). During the Writers Unlimited Festival 2026, Van Dis will be the main interview guest on Saturday afternoon, 24 January, following the publication of his new book Alles voor de reis (Everything for the Journey), and on Sunday morning, 25 January, he and interviewer Simon Dikker Hupkes will record a new episode of his podcast series Van Dis Ongefilterd (Van Dis Unfiltered) live with an audience.

Go to website of Adriaan van Dis

(Aruba, 1957) is one of St. Martin’s better-known poets who writes with notable dedication. He has lived in Trinidad and the Netherlands. In the 1980s he made St. Martin his home, and here first book, Illegal Truth (1991) was published under the name of Ras Changa. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, he became well known as a believer in RastaFari. His thunderous voice is heard often at various cultural events. Changa's work was recently published in an anthology of St. Martin writing. The multicultural aspect of the island is central to his work. More than 70 nations live on this Caribbean Island of which some part still ‘belongs’ to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The original population has become a minority and this has some strange, downright colonial effects. Europeans, for example, can live on the island without immigration restrictions, but Caribbean migrants must apply for a visa.
Hickinson toured with Winternachten in Indonesia and the Netherlands Antilles, and performed at the festival in The Hague.

(Paramaribo, 1948) is a poet, writer, reciter and does school theatre. She has published two volumes of poetry: Akwenda Streven en Ma Awitya. 'My biggest inspiration are the grandma's from the working-class area I used to live when I was a kid. Furthermore all the single mothers who have to work hard to raise their children.' She was honoured on several occasions, for instance when she got the Kwakoe Award for her contribution to Surinamese art. She gives workshops at primary and secondary schools. She is a contributor to the Studium Generale of the Hogeschool in Rotterdam. In Amsterdam she is busy with the workshop Life Lines. Here themes are: the power of women, apartheid, hope, love and everything that moves her.

(ps. of Stanley Richard Slijngard, 1939) is a literary performer and a poet. Sombra was born in Totness, Coronie, Surinam. He is very much involved in social matters. In 1973, during the great teachers' strike, he went on hungerstrike twice, calling attention to the social misery. In 1975 Sombra also took part in the street theatre Fri Makandra. He is co-initiator of the Writers' group '77, and has been active on the board for 25 years. He published the poetry collection Tarta (1974), Dagwe (1976), Ten-Tijd (1989) and Griot (1992). Alongside this his stories have been included in Hoor die Tori (Listen to the Tori) (1990), Siroto (1993) and De Ware Tijd Literair. Sombra writes his poetry mainly in Sranan.

(Doetinchem, 1956) grew up in Arnhem. He studied psychology in Nijmegen. After three years he broke off his study. As he wanted to become a writer he studied Dutch literature in Amsterdam, in which city he stayed after graduating. In 1982 he made his debut with the story Bedenkingen (Objections) (later included in De mensen thuis (People at Home)) in the magazine De revisor. Publieke werken (Public Works) won him the Libris Literatuurprijs twice (he had already won it for the novel Gewassen vlees (Washed Flesh). Less known but equally eventful is Vriend van verdienste (Friend of Merit) that came before it. His books have found their way to a wide audience and are all available.

(India, 1968), one of the most influential writers of fiction and nonfiction of our time, made his international breakthrough with his novel The Romantics, about an Indian student, who in the holy city of Benares is confronted with Western customs and mentality. He reached many readers worldwide with From the Ruins of Empire (2012), a study of the creation and development of an Asean ideology and self-conscience after 1905, losening itself from European colonialism. January 2017 he published Age of Anger: A History of the Present in which Mishra accounts for the resurgence of reactionary and right-wing political movements in the late 2010s. He contributes political and literary essays to the Guardian, the London Review of Books, the New York Review of Books and the New Yorker. He recently published The World After Gaza: A History.

(Ternate, Indonesia, 1971) has had her 2005 short story collection, Laluba, named Best Literary Work of the Year by Tempo magazine, and her novel Cala Ibi (2003) shortlisted for the Khatulistiwa Literary Award. Both works have marked the latest phenomenon in Indonesian literature by their détournement from the tradition of story telling and conventional narrative forms. At present, she serves on the Committee of Literature at the Jakarta Arts Council.

(1960) was born and raised in Jakarta. His family history - with Arab, Pakistani and Betawi ancestors - reflects the cosmopolitan character of the city of his birth. He studied Russian and American Studies at the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta. At the moment he teaches at the department of Russian at the Universitas Indonesia. His poetic genius was established with his volume of poems Dari Batavia sampai Jakarta, 1619-1999 for which he received the prize for the best Indonesian volume of poetry 1998-2000’. Other publications are Manusia, Mitos, dan Mitologi (1998), Pintu, Etalase, Batavia Centrum (collected poetry, 1998), and Konflik Nilai dalam Sejarah Perkembangan Sastra Rusia.

(1938) is a well-known novelist in Indonesia, as well as a literary critic and previously a publisher of modern Indonesian literature. In addition he has devoted himself to the conservation and the promotion of language and culture of the area he was born in, Sundanese. He writes in that language, investigating and documenting historical writings and promotes the study of other regional languages in Indonesia. At a young age he published his first book of short stories and poems, such as the semi-autobiographical Perjalan pengantan (1958). Rosidi swiftly developed into one of the most productive and authoritative literary essayists and critics. Where possible Ajip Rosidi has always sought foreign cooperation, also in projects with the Dutch and Dutch language institutions. In cooperation with the Royal Dutch Institute for Language, Geography and Ethnology (KITLV) in Leiden he worked on a project for the documentation, conservation and publication of Sundanese pantuns (long epic poems, recited in long nightly sessions). In 2004 Rosidi received the professor Teeuw Prize for his contribution to the cultural relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia.

(Sumatra 1924) is a Poet of the generation of 1945. He worked in Indonesia as a journalist and as a teacher at the National Academy for Theatre in Jakarta. He was chairman of the National Council of Culture. From 1967 to 1976 he was imprisoned under Souharto's regime. From 1982 to 1990 he was a professor at Leiden University. After that he lived respectively in Pakistan, Paris and Jakarta. He now lives in the Netherlands. In 1990 Bloem op een rots (Flower on a Rock; poems) was published; in 1996 De oude tijger (The Old Tiger, short stories). The bilingual collection of stories Lembah Kekal/Eeuwige Vallei (Eternal Valley) was published in October 2004 in Jakarta on the occasion of his 80th birthday. At this moment a film portrait is being made. In October 2006 he was Awarded with the South East Asain Write Award in Bangkok.

made his debut in 1989 with the novel De gave van Luxuria (Luxuria's Gift). This was followed two years later by De muziek van de zwarte toetsen (The Music of the Black Keys). With Raaf (Raven), Schröder found a wider audience. The stories in Het pak van Kleindienst (Kleindienst's Suit) is situated along varying moments in history. The atmosphere is menacing and mysterious. In his novel Grover Schröder looks into a number of essential questions of life. De Hydrograaf (The Hydrographer) was awarded the AKO literature prize and is a curious novel in which the patterns of the sea reflect those of love. In 2005 the novel Favonius appeared and early 2006 the collection of essays Nieuwe tijden (Modern Times) was published.

(Marken, 1958-2009) was a poet, a writer and a commentator, with a regular column on the Forum page and the book pages of the Volkskrant. Zeeman was the editor of the arts section of the Volkskrant and from 2006-2007 its Rome correspondent. In 2006 he and the writer Abdelkader Benali published an exchange of letters, exchanging ideas on politics, life, love and literature. In 2002 Zeeman received the Gouden Ganzenveer (Golden Goose Quill) for his merits for Dutch literature. Zeeman became well-known in the 1990s as the host of his monthly book programme 'Late at night after a short walk', later to be renamed 'Zeeman with books'. In 1991 he published his first volume of poetry, Beeldenstorm (Iconoclasm), winning him the C. Buddingh Prize. His second volume Verhoudingen (Relationships) appeared in 1995. In the same year he published short stories entitled De Verduistering (The Darkening). He died in 2009.

(Morocco, 1958) in 2013 won  the Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle for his collection of short stories The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers. Since his debut in 1996 humor has been his weapon against intolerance, both in his novels and in his other work. In his fiction, such as the collection of short stories Poldermarokkanen (2010), the novels Une année chez les Français (2011) and La femme la plus riche de Yorkshire (2011), Laroui describes time and again the collision between North African culture and Western culture. Laroui grew up in Casablanca and studied econometry, mathematics, physics and architecture in Paris. He lectures French literature and Arab culture at the University of Amsterdam.

(Cairo, 1957) is a writer, dentist, and one of the founders of the opposition movement Kefaya that helped launch the Egyptian Revolution. He had his international breakthrough with The Yacoubian Building, a novel about the lives of the inhabitants of an apartment block in Cairo. Although it paints a disconcerting picture of Egyptian society, it remained a bestseller in that country for years. It was also made into a film and a TV series. Al Aswani's writing style is quick and witty, with short chapters full of action, atmosphere and drama. His 2004 novella Friendly Fire, about a young man highly critical of corruption in Egypt, was banned. His newspaper columns about political developments in Egypt have been collected in On the state of Egypt. The Dutch translation of his latest novel will be presented at the 2015 Winternachten festival: De automobielclub (The Automobile Club of Egypt), about Cairo in the late 1940s, when Egypt was a British protectorate.

(Oirschot, 1957) from 1983 to 1987 he worked in Surinam. Van Kempen is the compiler of two extensive anthologies: Spiegel van de Surinaamse poëzie (Mirror of the Surinamese Poetry) (1995) and Mama Sranan. 200 jaar Surinaamse verhaalkunst (Mama Sranan, 200 Years of Surinamese Storytelling) (1999). In 1997 his first novel, Plantage Lankmoedigheid (Plantation Patience) appeared. He also published: Het Nirwana is een lege trein (Nirvana is an Empty Train) (2000) and Pakistaanse nacht (Pakistani Night) (2002). In 2002 he obtained his doctorate with his thesis Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur (A history of Surinamese literature). His anthology Noordoostpassanten (Northeast Transients), which he compiled together with Wim Rutgers, was presented at the Winternachten festival in 2005. In 2006 he published the novel Escape Routes.

was born in Paarl (South Africa) in 1966 and grew up there. He studied in the Department of English at the University of Cape Town. As PhD candidate he focused his research on selected South African poetry in English from 1970 to 1990. His poetry has appeared in journals both locally and abroad and he has also published reviews, short fiction and journalism, and the occasional literary essay. His debut volume of poetry, This Carting Life, was published in 2005. A former lecturer in English literary studies, he now works as a freelance editor. He is currently working on an anthology of poetry for high schools.

(The Netherlands, 1974) is a poet, writer, actor and director. He made his poetry debut in 2000 with 27 gedichten & Geen lied (27 Poems & No Song). Nasr acts in films and TV series and is a member of the International Theatre Amsterdam ensemble. His stage and screen roles have been awarded multiple times. He also writes theatre pieces, columns, essays and opinon pieces. From 2009 to 2013 he was the Dutch Poet Laureate. In his essay collection De fundamenten (The Fundamentals, 2021), he assesses a corona pandemic-struck nation; Nasr compacter (2021) gathers the best of his poems from a two-decade career. In 2023 he created a series for Dutch TV about objects from his own collections, Dr Nasrs Wunderkammer (Dr. Nasr's Chamber of Wonders).

graduated in 1984 at the department of New and Theoretical History at the University of Amsterdam with an undergraduate thesis and additional documentation on the image of our colonial war with Indonesia from 1940-1950 in Dutch cinema newsreels. Later she worked as a reporter with currect affairs programmes. She made several episodes for the historical programme series Na de oorlog (After the war) and De Affaire (The Affair). She is cofounder of the programme Andere tijden (Different Times) and works as a director there. Much talked-about episodes were the engagement of Princess beatrix and Prince Claus and Prince Bernhard's interference with Papua New Guinea.

is member of the Indonesian Mediations Project that, as part of a larger KNAW Project of Indonesia in Transition, conducts research on media in a Post Suharto environment. She wrote her MA thesis at Leiden University comparing two Indonesian films embodying strategies and discourses of cultural re-traditionalization and de-traditionalization in the frame of modern Indonesian socio-political developments and identity policies. Affiliated to the NWS and Leiden University she currently is writing her PhD thesis on contemporary Indonesian film.

(1957) is a self-willed word artist. She was born in the North-Moroccan Farkhana, a village near Nador. In 1998 she published her collection Yesremd - ayi wawar (Educated by language). The collection was written in the Tarafit language. With these poems she established her reputation as a poet, as they were received with much praise. Well-known artistst from the Rif, like Khalid Izri, Ithran, Mimoun Rafroua en Irizam use some of her poems as texts for their songs. Her poems are emancipatory: she wants to break taboos around women and the Amazigh language. Fadma El Ouariachi works as a researcher at the IRCAM, the Royal Institute of the Amazigh culture.

(Suriname, 1976) debuted with Knipperleven (2004), followed by Wanneer wij samen zijn (When We Are Together, 2006), based on the history of her Javanese-Surinamese family. Her novel Het gym (The Gymnasium, 2011) describes Sandra, a Surinamese outsider, holding her own among preppy white girls. De man van veel (The Man of Much, 2013) is based on the life of the Surinamese national hero and writer Anton de Kom, and was followed by her memoir Tenzij de vader (Unless the Father, 2016), a painfully honest report of getting to know her father at age 22. Her PhD thesis on the late author Anil Ramdas (University of Utrecht) was published as the biography In welk land leef ik eigenlijk? (What Kind of Country Do I Actually Live in?, 2023). She regularly publishes stories, columns and opinion pieces.

(Netherlands, 1955) won much praise for his books about the njai, women in the Dutch East Indies who lived in concubinage and had children with Dutch men. He debuted in 2006 with the semi-autobiographical novel De ogen van Solo (Solo’s Eyes), dealing with the rootlessness of people from the Dutch East Indies. Gebleekte ziel (Bleached Soul, 2012) is a novel based on historical fact about the son of a Balinese nobleman sent to the Netherlands to be "bleached", to erase his indigenous identity. Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht (Something Horrible Happened There) is a non-fiction book about the unknown history of slavery in the Dutch East Indies. In 2018 he published the documentary novel Het kind met Japanse ogen (The Child with Japanese Eyes), a personal quest and historical investigation into the life of his father.

(Leidschendam, 1973) is a poet, translator and lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. He made his debut in 2000 with the poetry collection Zijn opkomst in de voorstad (His Rise in the Suburb). Over the years, his poetry collections were often awarded or nominated for several important prizes, and translations appeared in English, Afrikaans, French, Chinese, Indonesian, Swedish and other languages. For the collection Kooi he received the Jan Campert Prize and the Ida Gerhardt Poetry Prize in 2008. His work is sometimes humorous, sometimes matter-of-fact and at the same time full of absurd inventions. In 2014, he published his, again critically acclaimed collection Mens Dier Ding. In 2021, he published the personal collection Wie was ik?, for which he received the Herman De Coninck Prize. That same year, Alfred Schaffer was awarded the P.C. Hooft Prize, the largest annual oeuvre prize in Dutch literature.

(Rinsumageest, 1974) made his debut in 2000 with Frisian volume of poetry De wizers yn it read (The Needles in the Red). In 2008 a bilingual anthology appeared of his Frisian poetry, De Berte fan it swarte hynder (The Birth of the Black Horse). Bruinja translated the poems himself, and in many instances revised them. In this volume he evokes his youth in the Frisian countryside, whereby the illness and death of his mother plays a prominent role. Bruinja edited various anthologies, among others Droom in blauwe regenjas (Dream in a Blue Raincoat; 2004), a compilation of Frisian poems, Klotengedichten (Bollocks Poems; 2005, poetry about the scrotum) and Kutgedichten (Cunt Poems; 2005, on the female genitals). In 2007 the volume Bang voor de bal (Fear of the Ball) appeared. Tsead Bruinja wrote poetry reviews for newspapers, magazines, and radio. He combines his poetry readings with live music, such as flamenco, trance and hiphop and frequently interviews other poets before an audience.

(Den Bosch, 1974) studied general literature and music and has been a freelance journalist and reviewer since 1997. She made her debut in 2004 with the volume of poetry Vitrine (Display Case). Followed in 2005 by her novel Grote acht (Big Eight). She organizes literary events, writes columns, publishes anthologies and performs regularly at festivals and literary evenings. Vrouwkje Tuinman won the Hollands Maandblad poetry scholarship 2003-2004 and was nominated for the Libra Prize and the Debutantenprijs. Right now she is working on short stories and at a new volume of poetry, Reception (Receptie), which will appear in January 2007. She is a columnist for Zone030 and the talkshow Cafe Z, teaches creative writing (both prose and poetry) among others in the Trouw writing course 'Write!', at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht and the Hogeschool Utrecht.

(Bergen North Holland, 1944) published poems using the pen name Sophie Perk in Algemeen Handelsblad. Poet Ed Hoornik, who worked for the newspaper, contacted her. Shortly afterwards her poems appeared in the literary magazine De gids. Her debut was published in 1966. Selling eighty-thousand copies it was one of the most successful Dutch volumes of poetry in the 20th century. Her second volume appeared in 1985, followed by a third one in 1995.

was born and raised in Salé, Morocco. Master Ba Houmane taught gnawa-music to him. In the way the blues reached her way to America through the “Black Atlantic”, in the same way sought Gnawa her way through the Sub-Sahara to North Africa. Gnawa followed the slavery route, which was used by the Moroccans after they captured Timbuktu. “Blues and Gnaw share the same history, they are like brothers who share the same mother: black Africa”. His ideas about music reveal as big knowledge of music styles, but he melts them in a masterly way with contemporary music.

(Curaçao, 1969) is a singer-songwriter as well as a composer. In her compositions she intertwines the traditional music of her island of birth, Curaçao, with jazz. A speciality of Calister is that she is recognized internationally, while singing jazz in a minority language, Papiamento. On Curaçao she scored two number one hits with it. Calister came to the Netherlands when she was eighteen and studied singing at a conservatory. She performs with her own band, but frequently works with other groups and theatrical companies. Commissioned by Winternachten, she collected stories on the Dutch Antilles, Aruba, in South Africa, Indonesia, Suriname and the Netherlands, adapting them to music. Thus giving rise to a repertoire of sung stories about the spider Anansi, the legend of Borobudur and The Saleswoman of Stavoren, among others.

(The Netherlands, 1960) is a literary critic, writer, curator, interviewer, debate leader and "ambassador between France and the Netherlands in the field of literature", as a French ambassador once said. She has been writing about literature for some 30 years, mainly for the NRC daily. She published books on French and European literature, on Hella S. Haasse and Cees Nooteboom. Her In de voetsporen van mijn grootvader (2021) is an autobiographical search for her literary genes. Before that, she published Met Parijse pen. Literaire omzwervingen (in collaboration with photographer Bart Koetsier, 2020), which takes readers to Paris for walks in the footsteps of famous Dutch and French writers. She was joint artistic curator of the Netherlands' Guest of Honour role at the 2024 Leipzig Book Fair with German journalist Bettina Baltschev.

Go to the website of Margot Dijkgraaf
Instagram: @margotdijkgraaf

(Nijmegen, NL, 1960) writes essays, short stories and plays, and is a columnist with the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad. He published the novels Laatste woorden (Last words) and Suez and received the Henriëtte Roland Holst Prize in 2005. In 2011's Moeten wij van elkaar houden, het populisme ontleed (Do We Have to Love One Another? Populism Dissected) Heijne shows how globalisation and individualism pave the way for populism. Angst en schoonheid (Fear and Beauty) was published in 2013, an essay about Dutch writer Louis Couperus, whom Heijne admires. In the same year his documentary about Couperus was broadcast. In 2015 he hosted the five-part documentary De volmaakte mens (The Perfect Human). In 2016 his essay Onbehagen – nieuw licht op de beschaafde mens (Discontent - new light on civilized man) was published. In 2017 Heijne received the P.C. Hooft Award for his essayistic works.

(Cuba, Matanzas) sings age-old traditionals in an ode to her motherland. With her supple voice she immediately takes the listener along on a journey, back to Cuba, where, in the village of San José de los Ramos two singers have a musical discussion in the guajira musical style 'controversia'. In these improvisations lie the foundations of Estrella's Cuban jazz. 'During parties relatives and friends came together to sing, dance and eat. Many stories were told in the form of poems and put to music on the spot, that's why they're so spontaneous and improvisatory in character.' The 'música guajira or 'música campesina' represents a lot. It is a melting pot of styles, from across the Canary Islands, Africa and Europe, with characteristic melodious swings, poetic texts and the central role for the guitar as rhythmic instrument. With drummer Armando Vital, on bass Pedro Luis Pardo, guitarist Carlos Irarragorri and pianist and arranger Marc Bischoff.

(Suriname, 1936) made her writer's debut with Hoe duur was de suiker? (How Costly Was the Sugar?, 1987), the novel that made her the most famous Surinamese writer overnight and was adapted for film in 2013. She was the first to describe the history, the slaving past and the colonization of her country from a Surinamese perspective. As an expert in the field, she lectures about the history of slavery at US and Canadian universities and organizes educational field and city trips. She has written historic novels, including De Vrije Negerin Elisabeth, gevangene van kleur (The Free Negress Elizabeth, Prisoner of Colour, 1992), as well as studies, children's books and children's musicals. Her No kwik in het bos (No Mercury in the Forest, 2017) is a YA novel about a ten-year-old girl and the dangers of mercury in the gold-mining process. McLeod is a daughter of Johan Ferrier, the first president of Suriname.

(The Hague, 1933) debuted in 1955 with the novel Philip en de anderen (Philip and the Others), a melancholic tale of an adolescent traveller through France. After that, he single-handedly introduced the genre of travel journalism in the Netherlands. His Berlijnse notities (Berlin Notes) was awarded the first Literaturpreis zum 3. Oktober. Rituelen (Rituals) got a lot of attention. Among his other works are (poetry): De doden zoeken een huis (The Dead are Searching for a House); Het zwarte gedicht (The Black Poem); Het gezicht van het oog (The Face of the Eye); (prose): De verliefde gevangene (Prisoner in Love), Een middag in Bruay (An Afternoon in Bruay); Een nacht in Tunesië (A Night in Tunesia); Een ochtend in Bahia (A Bahia Morning); De Parijse beroerte (The Paris Stroke); Een avond in Isfahan (An Evening in Isfahan); Voorbije passages (Past passages); De filosoof zonder ogen (The Philosopher Without Eyes).

(Neerpelt, 1953), a Flemish prose writer, studied psychology in Leuven, Belgium, and journalism in the Netherlands. Her novel Een kamer in Cairo (A Room in Cairo) tells us about her stay in Cairo, and her awareness that she'll never be part of that strange world. In 1985 she made her first journey to the former Belgian colony the Congo. In Terug naar Kongo (Back to the Congo) (1987) she reflects upon her experiences and impressions there. Later she focused on the Middle East and wrote the book De poorten van Damascus (The Gates of Damascus) (1993). In her book Dans van de luipaard (Dance of the Leopard) (2001) she tells about her second stay in the Congo in 1997, a time of unrest and civil war. In her newest book Op de vleugels van de draak (On The Wings of The Dragon), Joris journeys between Africa and China. Lieve Joris is a committed observer and knows like no other how to portray a post-colonial Africa. Her work has been awarded repeatedly, both in Flanders and in France.

(1973) lives and works in Amsterdam. He was cofounder of the literary punkrockmagazine Zeroxat and editor of and writer for the cultural magazine for young people Simpel. A large number of his poems appeared in Passionate, De Tweede Ronde, De Brakke Hond, Nymph, De Academische Boekengids, Krakatau and The Polranny Times. In 2006 his debut Toendra (Tundra) appeared, which was awarded the C. Buddingh' prize.

(Harlem, 1946) is a biologist. As a student he published small articles on animals in among others NRC Handelsblad, de Volkskrant and the VARA radio/tv magazine. The greater part of Dekkers' oeuvre consists of collections of columns on man and (especially) animals. He has read these personal sketches from 1980 in the radio programma Vroege vogels (Early Birds). The unique and far from pedantic way in which he takes on his themes forms an organic whole with his abrupt, expressive style. The same self-willed tone emanates from his children's books, for which he received four prestigious awards. In 1985 he wrote the children's book week gift Houden beren echt van honing? (Do Bears Really Like Honey?). Followed by his impressive books Lief dier (Cherished Animal) (1992), an essay about bestiality, and De vergankelijkheid (Ways of Dying) (1997) in which Dekkers makes a hilarious study about death, decay and the unstoppable advance of time. He had a lot of success with De larf (Larvae) (2002), about children and their parents. In his latest book, Lichamelijke oefening (Physical Exercise) (2006), he explains in an ironic way that all the effort in the gym is 'umsonst' and that it is better to walk to the pub or a bookstore rather than drive to tennis courts and football fields in order to work oneself in a sweat.

is an artist, living and working in the Netherlands. He studied physics at the Technical University of Delft. As an artist he started out painting. Then he started a project with a big flying saucer, which could really fly. It flew over the town of Delft in 1980 and caused a great deal of commotion. For about ten years he has occupied himself making a new nature. Not pollen or seeds but plastic yellow tubes are used as the basic matierial of this new nature. He makes skeletons which are able to walk on the wind. Eventualy he wants to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.

(Jerusalem, 1980) is a classically schooled Arab musician. At a young age he discovered his passion for the ud. In 2001 he made his debut in the Netherlands with an ensemble accompanying the modern Galili Dance Company. In 2002 he graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem. In 2004 he formed his own ensemble, the Haytham Qu4rtet, consisting of musicians from various musical backgrounds. They perform Haytham's compositions with jazz and African influences and a strong classical Arab background. The cd Blossom was released in 2006 by Rounder Europe.

was founded in 1997 by Tino Liauw. The band plays a mixture of various styles which can still be heard in Indonesia today. The repertoire varies from krontjong to dangdut, from seriosa to Jakartan streetsongs. No folklore, but living music. Existing Indonesian songs are clad anew. Traditionals such a Bangawan Solo acquire a whole new diction, becaue they are sung in Dutch. While Tino Liauw, coming from Jakarta, sings another classic, the krontjong song Terang Bulan in dialect, ironically.

began his career as a painter, after training at the Academie voor Kunst en Architectuur in Tilburg. As painting did not give him sufficient means to express himself, he started making animation films in the early 1970s. Both nationally and internationally Van Dijk counts as a leading animation filmmaker, which appears from the many prizes his films have won him. Van Dijk sees his animation films as 'moving paintings' which - in contrast to 'still paintings' - offer him the possibility to influence the element of time in his work. His work emanates a strong social engagement.

(The Hague, NL, 1951) is a sinologist, japanologist, journalist and writer. Asian culture, democracy, religion, politics, Islamic fundamentalism, and the aftermath of World War II are returning subjects in his vast body of work. His essays have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, NRC and The New York Review of Books. Buruma grew up in The Hague, the child of a British mother and a Dutch father. His book Their Promised Land: My grandparents in times of love and war tells the story of his London-born, German-Jewish grandparents. He has been a professor of democracy, human rights and journalism in New York since 2003. He received the Erasmus Prize in 2008.

(Morocco, 1975) is an award-winning writer, poet, playwright and curator. His 1996 debut, Bruiloft aan zee (Wedding By the Sea), was an immediate success. His second novel, De langverwachte (The Long-awaited) won him the prestigious 2003 Libris Literature Award. Benali's subjects vary, but sports and the migrant who never really feels at home are recurring themes. He has written novels about his great passion of running, about his travels, and about migrants' cultural identity (Bad Boy). His work has been published internationally. Recent books include the novel Paradijsvogel boven Hoge Woerd (Bird of Paradise over Hoge Woerd, 2022) and Het andere verhaal (The Other Story, 2022), an essay about his research into 75 years of modern Moroccan art.

was born and raised in Morocco and studied English in Rabat, London and California. She is editor of the literary weblog www.moorishgirl.com, which was reviewed in USA Today and de Washington Post. In addition, articles by her have been published in among others the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Nation, The Baltimore Review and The Independent. Hoop en andere gevaarlijke verlangens (Hope and Other Dangerous Desires) is Laila Lalami’s fiction debut and was published in October 2005 with Algonquin Books. She lives in Portland, Oregon (US) with her husband and child.

(Terwispel, 1956) is a prolific prose writer, poet, critic and essayist. His first publication was the anthology De multatulianen on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Multatuli Society. De psychologie van de zwavel (The Psychology of Sulphur, 1990) was awarded with the Geertjan Lubberhuizen Prize. After that many titles followed, among others Cicerone (1992), Het huis M. Memoirs of a Speaker (The House M. Memoirs of a Speaker) (1993), Familieportret (Family Portrait) (1996), Disgenoten (Table Companions) (1998). The novels fit into the 26-volume 'modern memory lexicon' the writer is working on. His recent novels Worst (Sausage, 2014) and De aardappelcentrale (Potatoe Center, 2019) deal with opportunism in times of war. Jongstra was awarded the Constantijn Huijgens Prize 2016 for his body of work.

(Alkmaar, 1957) is a Dutch poet, prose writer, translator and publisher. He studied law. Asscher worked with a literary publisher for many years, lastly as general director of J.M. Meulenhoff. Between 1998 and 2004 he headed the arts department of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Now he is general manager of bookshop Athenaeum in Amsterdam. In 1992 Asscher made his debut with the short story anthology Dodeneiland, vier geschiedenissen (Island of the Dead, Four Histories). He published stories, poems, poetry translations, essays, two novellas and a novel (Het uur en de dag, 2005; The Hour and the Day). The rights for his novellas were sold to film producer Rob Houwer. De verstekeling (The Stowaway) was nominated for the Ako literature prize 2000.

was born in 1953 on the island of Aruba. Early 1960 the family moved to the Netherlands, her mother's country. Although Ecury was brought up very much a Dutch girl she couldn't escape the Antillean influences of her Aruban father. In May 2005 she published the collection of poetry Terug die tijd - Herinneringen aan dementie (Give Back those Days - Memories of Dementia). Poems and thoughts about the last living phase of her demented mother and memories of a shared past both here and on Aruba. In April 2006 her debut novel Erfdeel (Heritage) appeared. From her work it becomes apparent that her life is inextricably associated with the two cultures she carries within her.

was dramaturg/artistic director of Toneelgroep Centrum. Translated many plays and wrote libretti for opera and ballet. For the Royal Concertgebouw Orquestra he translated and performed in Stravinsky/Ramuz' The Solder's Tale. Together with Paul Vermeulen Windsant he translated and adapted for the stage Lewis Carolls Alice in Wonderland. Als a violoncellist and announcer het performed with the Resistentie Orkest during fifteen years. Hij now works as theatre-maker in De Balie in Amsterdam, and as a mobile dramaturg in The Netherlands.

(Guinea-Bissau) is a talented musician with a beautiful voice. He has been active in music for fifteen years and is a celebrity in Guinea-Bissau. Through the years Tino has performed in various African countries like Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Gambia and Ivory Coast, but also in European countries like Portugal, France and the Netherlands. His African music is inspired on 'Gumbe' (a national musical style from West African Guinea-Bissau). Together with a band he creates swinging semi-acoustic dancemusic, consisting of sparkling rhythms from the African continent.

(Amsterdam, 1971) travelled to Egypt at age 24 to do research among Egyptian contemporaries. That not only earned him a degree in religious anthropology, but also his debut, Een goede man slaat soms zijn vrouw (A Good Man Sometimes Hits his Wife). It was an instant success and Volkskrant and Radio 1 Journaal asked him to become a correspondent in the Arab World. Later he also worked for NRC Handelsblad and NOS. During his stay he wrote Een tipje van de sluier (A Corner of the Veil) and after his return to the Netherlands in 2003 Het zijn net mensen (People Like Us), on his experiences as a correspondent. Meanwhile Luyendijk has shifted his attention elsewhere: Dutch politics and sustainability. His latest book, Je hebt het niet van mij, maar…Een maand aan het Binnenhof (Don’t mention my name, but… A Month in Parliament), caused a great deal of controversy in Dutch journalist circles. Joris Luyendijk took a closer look at the bell-jar world of Dutch politics. With some amazement he describes how close the link between journalists, lobbyists, public relations officials and politicians is. In 2006 and 2007 Luyendijk hosted the tv interview programme Zomergasten (Summer Guests) and in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 Wintergasten (Winter Guests). Since March 2010 he is one of the regular hosts of the late night radio current affairs programme Met het oog op morgen (With a View to Tomorrow).

(Netherlands, 1958) has produced and presented the VPRO radio programme OVT since 2002, a two-hour show about the historical roots of current events as well as newly released historical books, films, commemorations, and anything else related to history. The show features live interviews, reportage, columns and a weekly documentary during the last half hour. He was already linked to OVT since 1992 as a programmer and previously freelanced for other national Dutch broadcasters such as VARA and IKON.

(1973) in daily life is known by the name of Jaïr Tchong. Right now he works as a project leader world music with Muziek Centrum Nederland and is a member of the supervisory board of Global Dance Lab. In the past he was, among other things, world music programmer at the Melkweg and chair of the commission on internationalisation at the Fonds Podiumkunsten. In addition to being a dj Jairzinho is also a world music journalist. He has an Aruban-Chinese father and a Dutch mother. From the age of fifteen music has been his passion, sussessively punk, new wave, soul, jazz, funk, African, Brazilian and Salsa/Latin. In 2000 he started working in Amsterdam as a dj and freelance journalist with OYE Listen, Het Parool, De Groene Amsterdammer, Nieuwe Revu, Preludium, Ontdek Afrika and NIW. Jairzinho mainly plays afro-latin: all kinds of black dance music have his interest. In addition he increasingly uses East European and oriental music in his eclectic mix. Jairzinho performned among other venues at Oerol, in the Bloemendaalse Republiek, RASA in Utrecht and at the Bimhuis, Bitterzoet, Melkweg and Paradiso in Amsterdam.

(1953) is a special professor in the history of psychology at the University of Groningen. His graduate thesis De metaforenmachine (The Metaphor Machine) explores the metaphorical nature of the language we use to think and speak about memory. His monograph Ontregelde geesten (Disordered Spirits) deals with famous historic neurologists and psychiatrists like Parkinson, Korsakov, Alzheimer, Gilles de la Tourette and Asperger. To date, Draaisma has published four books about autobiographical memory, including the multiple prize-winning titles Waarom het leven sneller gaat als je ouder wordt (Why Life Goes Faster As You Grow Older, 2001) and Als mijn geheugen mij niet bedriegt (If Memory Serves Me Right, 2016).

(Curaçao, 1956) For years was the face of the Antillean community in the Netherlands. He came to the country in 1989 to study and wanted to return afterwards. However, he stayed because of his young family and found a new mission: taking care of the interests of Arubans and Antilleans in the Netherlands. With the Splika foundation he dedicated himself to the promotion of Papiamentu, the language that he also teaches. Subsequently he chaired MAAPP (Movimentu Antiano i Arubano pa Partisipashon Politiko), the platform for the social participation of Antilleans and Arubans in the Netherlands. When he resigned on 1 March 2009 he received the MAAPP award Mi ta yuda, a new medal which will be awarded on Severina's birthday to people who have dedicated themselves to the Antillean and Aruban communities. For some time Severina served on the town council for the Dutch Labour Party in the town of Zoetermeer and now chairs HAAB (The Hague Antillean Aruban Board).

(Rotterdam 1963 - Haarlem 2016) in 2010 published Grote Verwachtingen. Opgroeien in de letteren in 25 schema’s (Great Expectations. Growing up in Literature in 25 Charts). He did the same in Luisteren & cetera, (Listening etc) about 25 1970s pop albums. Somewhat earlier Macbet heeft echt geleefd (Macbeth Really Existed) appeared, on places where literary heroes used to live. In Verleden in verf (Past in Paint, 2011), Steinz sketches Dutch history in forty paintings. Steinz became an art editor with NRC Handelsblad in 1989. From 2005-2011 he headed the bookpages of that paper. Steinz studied ancient history and English. Earlier he wrote, among other books, Klein ABC van de wereldliteratuur (Concise ABC of world literature; 2008), Het web van de wereldliteratuur (The World Literature Web; 2007) and Lezen op locatie (Reading on Location; 2003), sixty maps on which he identifies where masterpieces of literature are set. In 2010 he published De Duivelskunstenaar (The wizard), a journey through Europe in search of Faust. Since 2012 Steinz has been head of the Dutch Literary Fund. He died in august 2016.

aka CG aka SirCavyG.O aka Cavy-R aka Cavy Rocc aka Cavlar has been a fan of Hiphop music since he was ten. When he was twelve he left Surinam and came to the Netherlands. In highschool he met DNG, who supplied him with the latest tapes. At age sixteen he started writing himself. Occassionally he freestyled for fun but later on he seriously started writing lyrics. Since his rap friends DNG, Diversity and Slowgo shared the same passion they hooked up and started the rap group Coup the Villz.

(Surinam, 1962) is the National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism since 2021. Baldewsingh was alderman in The Hague for 12 years, from 2006 to 2018. Prior to that, he was a documentary editor and, from 1998, a Hague city councillor. As alderman, he held various policy areas in his portfolio, including social affairs and employment, neighbourhood approach, sports, city management and environmental policy, public health, integration, personnel and organisation and civic affairs. Besides his work as NCDR, he participates as a dual PhD student in the programme of Leiden University Dual PhD Centre The Hague. His dissertation will be on Sarnámi as a language in oppression.

(1965, Amsterdam) graduated in 1992 in anthopology and sociology of non-western societies at the University of Amsterdam. He is interested in the modern social and economic and political history of southeast Asia, Indonesia in particular. He took his doctoral degree from the Free University of Amsterdam with a study of Indonesian and ethnic Chinese textile entrepreneurs in West Java. Since November 20012 he has worked with NIOD as a research coordinator of the Feasibility Study Dutch East Indies Accounts. In mid-August he began a study into the settlement of material damage as a result of the Japanese occupation. Peter Keppy is also very much interested in etno-musicology. In addition to being a scientist he is an amateur musician and band leader of the Orkes Kep & Tau.

(1935) was born in Bandung, Indonesia, and consciously witnessed the Japanese occupation and the bersiap-period. As a child she fled the force of war and took to the mountains with her parents. Before the war, her father had been a member of the Volksraad (People's Council) in the Dutch East Indies. She came to the Netherlands in December of 1949. She studied cultural anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. Until 2001 she worked as a curator at the Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde in Rotterdam. Alit grew up amid Dutch and Sundanese culture and has ouspoken ideas about the Sundanese language and culture. On 11 January she discusses these topics with the Sundanese poet Ajip Rosidi and journalist Hawé Setiawan.

(Hoogeveen, 1939) wrote his PhD thesis in 1984 on the discussion on the slave trade and slavery held in several literary and other texts (ca. 1625-1825). Since 1962 Paasman has been teaching Dutch historical and modern literature at the University of Amsterdam, specialised in the Enlightenment, colonial, post-colonial and migrant literature. He has edited series and magazines in the field of the Enlightenment and East and West Indian literature, particularly Dutch East Indian literature. He was a visiting lecturer at academies and universities in Indonesia, South Africa and Surinam. He is professor emeritus of Colonial and Post Colonial Cultural and Literary History at the University of Amsterdam.

(Apeldoorn, 1958) is a poet, writer, singer and artist. He studied photography and mixed media. In 1987 his official debut appeared, Nepvuur (Fake Fire), swiftly followed with the controversial anthology Maximaal. In 1993 he published his novel in letters, Mijn leven als museum (My Life as a Museum). He has worked as a visual artist and a singer for several years. From 2002 the volumes Simpele ziel (Simple Soul), De grote vakantie (The Big Holiday, 2003), Rode vlam (Red Flame) and De verdwijnkunstenaar (The Disappearing Act Artist), both in 2004, appeared. Since 2002 Starik has been in charge of the Poule des Doods (Poule of Death), a group of poets of various make-up who write and recite poetry for lonely burials. The book Eenzame uitvaart (Lonely Burial) with the poems appeared in 2005.

(Great Britain, 1944) is one of the leading and most widely read writers on religion. Her work has been translated into 40 languages and includes bestsellers sch as A History of God (1995), The Battle for God (2000), Islam (2001), and The Case for God (2009). Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life (2011) came about as a result of Armstrong's win of one of three TED prizes; she used the prize money to initiate the now globally supported Charter for Compassion. In October of 2014 she published Fields of Blood, dealing with the entanglement of religion and violence. In it, she bluntly states that all through the ages, wars have often been fought on behalf of a god. But she also shows that, alongside the crusaders and the jihadists, there has always been a Jesus or a Buddha advocating for peace and reconciliation. She also shows that the underlying motives for the use of force are usually social, economic or political in nature.

(1955) studied landscape architecture at Wangeningen University. Some time after her graduation she decided to choose journalism as a profession. She started her own office for journalistic productions and photography in 1985. In addition to assignments in the agricultural sphere she has written on a wide range of subjects, notably nature, the environment and health care, but also on social and cultural affairs. In 2000 her book Mexicaanse sneeuw (Mexican Snow) was published, a visual travelogue on the time she spent with the Tarahumara, a primitive indian tribe in the inaccessible Mexican highlands. De weg naar Villarbon (The Road to Villarbon) is the story about a deserted village in Spain, about the ideals of an enthusiastic mayor that clash with new initiatives. This colourful novel appeared in 2004. In 2006 the novel De groeten aan de koningin (Greetings to the Queen) was published, the report of her adventurous journey to the interior of Surinam.

(Schaarsbergen, 1948) published her first prose and poetry in 1974 under the pseudonym of A. Tuinman in De revisor. She made her debut as a poet in 1987 with the volume Aurora and as a novelist with Hartsvanger (Heartcatcher). She also won fame with her translations of among others Vladimir Nabokov, Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Plath, Jules Verne and W.H. Auden. Her themes are nature and love, but language as well. She is often lauded for her rich vocabulary and her language virtuoso. In her poetry Brassinga deals intimate pin-pricks. She refused the Nijhoff Prize for her translation of Nabokov's The Gift. She did accept other prizes, such as the Herman Gorter Prize, the Paul Snoek Prize and the VSB Poetry Prize. From the very beginning her poetry was received well by most critics.

(1955) studied Dutch in Groningen. She taught at a secondary school for two years. She has been working fulltime as a journalist since 1981, first with Winschoter Courant, then with IPS, a third world oriented press agency. She has travelled widely, especially in Africa. By the end of 1989 she travelled to Brazil where she became a correspondent voor de Volkskrant in 1992. She also works for Elsevier, Dutch television news and the news broadcast for young people. She has a column in Vice Versa, the magazine for the Foundation of Dutch volunteers overseas. In 1995 she published Engelen van het asfalt (Alsphalt Angels), a book on the street children in Brazil, awarded a Glazen Globe (Glass Globe). For this book she lived with street kids for four months. Kannibalen in Rio (Cannibals in Rio) is a novel for grownups, also published in 1995. In 2006 Rooksignalen (Smoke Signals) appeared, a book on semi-nomadic indians discovered ten years ago in a very small wood in Brazil where they survived as shipwrecked people.

(Wageningen, 1970) is a poet, translator and freelance journalist. She did American studies in the Netherlands and the US. She translated American poetry of among others Joel Brouwer. In 2002 she translated Permanent War and Permanent Peace, a collection of essays by Gore Vidal. Her volume of poetry Anders komen de wolven (Or Else the Wolves Will Come) appeared in April 2006. Earlier her poetry appeared in Awater, Parmentier, Bunker Hill and Hollands Maandblad.

(Amsterdam, NL, 1954) wanted to "shake up the world" as a journalist for magazines like Panorama, Opzij, Viva and De Tijd. Her successful debut novel Buidenstaanders (Outsiders) was published in 1983. Her international breakthrough came with 1998's Een hart van steen (A Heart of Stone), which was translated in 15 countries. Dorrestein was called the first Dutch "female gothic" writer because of typical gothic themes like suppressed memories, family secrets, and ghostly apparitions. In her world, evil usually lurks close to home. The balance of power within families is one of her favourite subjects. Her life and work have been strongly influenced by her sister's 1979 suicide, and by the chronic fatigue syndrome from which she suffered for a decade. A report of her correspondence with the Chinese dissident Liu Di, Penvriendin in China (Penpal in China), was published in 2015. Dorrestein was one of the founders of the Anna Bijns Foundation, a biannual prize honouring "the female literary voice.". She died in 2018.

(Curacao, 1946), born to Surinamese parents, was an editor/newsreader on Dutch TV (1985-2009) and the Dutch World Service (1983-2008). She had roles in theatre productions such as Ajax, Hemel boven Berlijn (Sky Above Berlin), Medea, The Vagina Monologues and De Afscheidsmonologen (The Farewell Monologues) as well as writing plays herself. In addition, she regularly hosts debates and writes columns. In 2009 she received the Cosmic Award for her advocacy for more diversity in Dutch media. A memoir of her youth in Curaçao, De Antillen en ik (The Antilles and Me), was chronicled by John Leerdam. In 2018 she played the role of storyteller in The Passion.

(Velp) studied political and social science. From 1968 to 1990 he worked for the Haagse Post, the last five years as editor in chief. Nowadays Jansen van Galen until 2015 was one of the regular presenters of a NOS current affairs radio programme. In 1970 he came to Surinam for the first time to work as a radio journalist and he soon became acknowledged as the Netherlands' expert on Surinam. In 2000 his book Hetenachtsdroom (Hotnight's dream) was published. This is about the influence of Surinam's nationalism. In 2004 his book De toekomst van het koninkrijk (The future of the Kingdom) appeared, about the decolonisation of the Dutch Antilles and Aruba. Jansen van Galen also writes books about hiking. In 2016 his book De gouden jaren van het linkse levensgevoel: Het verhaal van Vrij Nederland, a history of the left wing weekly Vrij Nederland.

(Aruba, 1946) studied Dutch law at the then Catholic Academy at Tilburg. He led the department for the political structure of the islands at the Dutch Antilles and lectured state and administrative law at the University of the Dutch Antilles. He has been active politically since 1892. On 12 May Croes obtained his PH.D. from the Univeristy of Tilburg with a thesis entitled: 'Redefining the Kingdom.'

(Terneuzen, 1944) studied piano and composition at the Rotterdam Conservatory and continued his study in composition under Otto Ketting at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. After winning an award for composition in 1994 he studied for some time with Milko Kelemen in Germany. He was programmer of the STAMP concerts in Rotterdam and taught theoretical subjects at Twente Conservatory. With Peter-Jan Wagemans he started the foundation the Unanswered Question, realizing performances of new work by the composition department. Works by De Vries have been performed by the Rotterdam Philarmonisch Orkest, the Residentieorkest, the Noordhollands Philharmonisch Orkest, the Schönberg Ensemble and the Nederlands Saxofoonkwartet. In 1984 Klaas de Vries received the 1983 Matthijs-Vermeulen award for his composition Discantus, written for the Nederlands Studenten Orkest. In 1998 he received this prize a second time for A king, riding and Interludium for string orchestra.

(1970) studied philosophy. In 1994 she made her debut with the much talked about novel Ave Verum Corpus/Gegroet waarlijk lichaam. In 1997 she published Oerboek en Credo: bezielde verhalen uit de Nederlandse literatuur (Primeval Book and Creed: enchanted Stories from Dutch Literature), a year later followed by a collection of essays: Stiller leven. Subsequently she published the novels Mensen met een hobby (2001) and Het opstaan (the Rising). Van Brederode writes articles and delivers lectures on ethical subjects. She is a columnist in the political tv programme Buitenhof. In the pamphlet Modern dédain (Modern Disdain) which appeared in March 2006 she shows that the contempt for the deepening of the spirit takes on such grotesque forms that even cultural media and educational institutions adapt to the prejudices of the masses.

(Hengelo, NL 1962) is a radio journalist and a writer. His most recently published book is De Wadden (The Frisian islands; 2013), a poetic history of the Frisian islands. His book of short stories Brutus heeft honger (Brutus is hungry, 2011) was nominated for the AKO Literature Prize. Eating being the leitmotiv, Deen jumps through world history. The forty-four historical stories are fine miniatures of scarcely one and a half page long. After having studied Dutch in Groningen Deen worked for Radio Noord for some years. His radio columns from those days were collected in two publications. Since 2001 Deen has been programme maker with VPRO radio, hosting the historical radio programme OVT. A number of historical documentaries which he made for VPRO radio has been published as an audiobook. The radio series De lange weg naar Darwin (Long road to Darwin) appeared on cd and as a podcast. Deen was programme coordinator of the Winternachten Festival between 2009 and 2011.

(Hulshorst, NL, 1951) received the Anne Vondeling Award for political journalism in 2008, owing to her sharp analyses of social problems. She is a journalist in the widest sense of the word. Besides being an editor and columnist with the NRC Handelsblad newspaper, she makes frequent appearances on radio and TV. In 2007 she debuted as a novelist with Maak jezelf maar klaar (Go Get Yourself Off), in which one of the characters from Harry Mulisch's The Discovery of Heaven figures as a main character. Etty obtained her Ph.D. with distinction from Utrecht University with a biography of Henriëtte Roland Holst, Liefde is heel het leven niet (Love Is Not All of Life, 1996). Her newspaper columns appeared in four different books. Her reviews were compiled in Dames gaan voor - Van Hella Haasse to Connie Palmen (Ladies First: From Hella Haasse to Connie Palmen, 1999). Etty is a special lecturer in Literary Criticism at the Free University in Amsterdam, and is now at work on a biography of the late Dutch poet and songwriter Willem Wilmink.

(Rotterdam, NL, 1960) is the ombudsman of NRC Handelsblad newspaper. He studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. From 1983 to 1985 he created the faculty publication Cimedart. In 1990 he started working for NRC Handelsblad, first as copy editor, then as coordinator and assistant editor-in-chief of the national affairs section. He was involved in setting up the paper's website. From 1999 to 2005 he headed the Books section and wrote an opinion column. In 1989 he co-wrote with "student leader" Maarten van Poelgeest the latter's premature memoir, Zo doen we dat dus (That's How We Do It). He also published mini-biographies of Richard Burton, Marcel Proust and Bob Dylan, and illustrated Maarten Doorman's animal stories for the collection Elk beest zijn vet (Every Animal's Stripes). A collection of De Jong's columns was published in 2005 under the title Spijtwraak (Regret-Revenge).

(Amsterdam, 1979) is an Amazight of Moroccan descent, living in Amsterdam Noord. She studies philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. She is highly committed socially. Khadija is on the board of the women's committee Buya in Utrecht, founed two years ago. It devotes itself to the cause of Moroccan women. She was a guest at various debates, serving on the panel. Although born in the Netherlands, he hasn't forgotten her roots. For her writing poems in Thmazight (Berber) is an enriching experience.

is a linguist. She was manager of the institute for education of teachers (IOL) in Surinam until 1987, and teacher Dutch in this institute until 1994. Since 2005 she is part of the central board of editors for the Journal for Surinamese Affairs, a thorough magazine, very much accesible for the general audience, with space for articles, reviews, debate and comment.

(1957) wrote his Ph. D. in 1989 in Leiden on the Melaju Sini, the variant of the Malaysian of Moluccan youngsters in the Netherlands. From 1990 to 2006 Tahitu worked for the Landelijk Steunpunt Educatie Molukkers and was in charge of the continuing education in the field of the Moluccan community (language, culture and history) aimed at professionals. In addition to these courses and trainings for among others primary and secondary school teachers, health workers, civil servants and mayors, Tahitu taught courses in Moluccan Malayan and culture. In his free time Tahitu hosts parties and events, chairs meetings, is a quiz-master and is a talkshow host. He has been a regular host of Pasar Palams round the Netherlands. As of September 2006 Tahitu is a fulltime lawyer with Wattilete Advocaten in Amsterdam.

(1962) is a researcher at the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) and teaches the history of ethnic relationships in Batavia and Colombo in the time of the VOC (Dutch East India Company). He has published on Indonesia and Southeast Asia in early modern and modern history. Among his books are De geschiedenis van Indische Nederlanders (The history of the East-Indian Dutch) (2006), Being "Dutch" in the Indies. A history of creolisation and empire, 1500-1920 (2007), The World of Jan Brandes (2004), De oude Indische wereld (The Old East Indies' World) (2003) and Beelden van de Japanse bezetting van Indonesië (Images of the Japanese Occupation of Indonesia (1999).

(1949) was born and raised in Sweden but has lived in the Netherlands since 1972. He studied economics at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and at Columbia Univeristy, New York and in Amsterdam. In 1982 he took his doctoral gedree from the University of Amsterdam with a study of the trade between the Netherlands and Sweden in the 17th century. Since 1975 he has taught at the University of Leiden, now as a lecturer at the school of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania and with the history department. Thomas Kindblad specializes in modern economic Indonesian history. Wintin the research programme From the Dutch East Indies to Indonesia he is responsible for Indonesianisasi and nationalization, executed in cooperation with IIAS (International Institute for Asian Studies) in Leiden.

is researcher with the International Institute of Social History (IISG) in Amsterdam. She is coordinator of the research programme 'Changing Labour Relations in Asia' at the same institute. Her present research is aimed at the cigarette industry, trade unions and the social movement in Indonesia. Her articles have been published in anthologies and in various magazine and journals. She is co-editor of The Household and Beyond: Cultural Notions and Social Practices in the Study of Gender in Indonesia, Curzon Press-NIAS (1999) and of Labour in Southeast Asia: Local Processes in a Globalized World (in preparation). At the moment she is working on a book about the labour communities of the cigarette industry in East Java.

(1961) studied history at the University of Groningen and received his Ph. D. from the department of the history of international relations at the University of Utrecht with a thesis on Dutch-Indonesian relations between 1950-1962. Since 1996 he has been a postdoctoral researcher of the history of the Dutch in the Dutch East Indies/Indonesia in the 20th century. He has worked for various agencies in the field of repatriation and veteran care. At the moment he is finishing a publication on the Indo-European community in the Dutch East Indies/Indonesia in the 20th century. Within the research programme From the Dutch East Indies to Indonesia he is responsible for the research into 'Backpay in an international perspective' carried out by the University of Utrecht.

(1957) born in Brisbane, Australia. In 1984 he received his Ph.D. at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London with the thesis 'Jakarta in the Indonesian revolution, 1945-1949'. From 1990 to 2003 he taught Southeast Asian history at the University of Queensland. Since then he has been Senior Fellow at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies of the Australian National University. In 1993 he was visiting lecturer at the college Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania at the University of Leiden and in 1988 and 1989 Fellow-in-Residence at NIAS (the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies) in Wassenaar. Within the research programme 'From Dutch East Indies to Indonesia' he is responsible for the study into New Orders carried out by the NIOD in Amsterdam.

(1961) studied cultural anthropology and history at the University of Leiden. He received his Ph.D. in 1994 with the thesis Patches of Padang- the History of an Indonesian Town in the Twentieth Century and the Use of Urban Space. Since September 2003 he has taught as a university lecturer at the College of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Free Universiy of Amsterdam. Previously he worked as a university lecturer at the College of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania of the University of Leiden, and as researcher at the Centre for Non-Western Studies (Leiden), the Royal Dutch Insitute for the Tropics (KITLV) and the International Institute for Asian Studies (Leiden/Amsterdam). He works at KITLV two days a week, working with Martine Barwegen on the study The Struggle for the City within the research programme 'From the Dutch East Indies to Indonesia'.

(Bangka, 1961) studied history at the Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) and Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. In 1992 he received his Ph. D. from the latter institution with a study into the indigenous rubber culture on South Sumatra from 1890-1940. His research interests lie in the field of Indonesian historiography and the economic history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. After having had several posts at the Universitas Gadjah Mada, he was a visiting lecturer at the Thammasat University in Thailand and the University of the Philippines. At the moment dr. Purwanto heads the centre for Social and Southeast Asian Studies of the Universitas Gadjah Mada. He is working on a publication entitled 'Gagalnya Historiografi Indonesiasentris?' in which he treats the success or failure of an Indonesian-centric historiography.

(1972), an architecture historian, has been employed at
the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) since 1997. From 2005 she has worked as chief curator and is therefore responsible for the exhibitions, lectures and debates programme as wel as the educational programme. As part of her thesis about F.J.L. Ghijsels, an architect working in the Netherlands East Indies between 1910 and 1927, she conducted research in Indonesia. In 1996, this research led to a book and a travelling exhibition in Indonesia. In 1997 she published a book on post-war Jakarta and the urban development of this city (Batavia: Beeld van een stad). At the NAI, De Vletter has curated exhibition on such projects as J.J.P. Oud, UN Studio, Asymptote, Dutch architecture and planning in the 1970s and the collection of Piet Sanders. In 2007 an exhibition on colonial architecture in the Netherlands East Indiens entitled 'Moderniteit in de Tropen' will be on show at the NAI in Rotterdam and later travel to Indonesia.

(1948, Amsterdam) has a Moluccan father and a Dutch mother. In the 1970s he was a schoolteacher for five years. Since 1982 he has been active as an actor, director and writer. Round 1990 he was a wellknown Dutch person for a time for the role of Gus which he played in a Dutch hospital soap. Since 1998 Apituley has been working mainly as a storyteller with stories he writes himself. He loans his voice to radio and tv commercials and plays bass guitar in an R&R band and a jazz/R&B/Brazil band.

(1968) was born in Subang, West Java. He finished his studies at the faculty of Arts and Design at the Bandung technikon. Since 2003 he has worked as editor-in-chief of the Sundanese magazine 'Cupumanik' and writes columns for the daily newspaper 'Pikiran Rakyat' in Bandung.

(1970) was born in Hiroshima, a city where the ghost of the atom bomb still haunts. In her youth she heard about 'the disaster'; but she never heard the details of the story. Her interest in the history of her country and especially those episodes that were not talked about increased. She studied history, specializing in WWII in Asia. During her holiday in Indonesia she met Indonesians who had served as heiho - Indonesian soldier in Japanese service - in WWII. It was again a meeting with a story unknown in Japan and Kaori made herself familiar with the lives of the heiho. Currently she is working as a researcher at the archives department of the National Institute for the Humanities in Tokyo.

was born in 1959 in the Moluccan camp Lunetten near Vught and raised in the Moluccan neighbourhood in Leerdam. He studied history at the University of Utrecht, specializing in the history of the Moluccans. Since 1987 Manuhutu has been a member of the management of the Moluccan Museum in Utrecht. He has published various articles on Moluccan history and culture and co-edited a number of anthologies: Tijdelijk verblijf. De opvang van Molukkers in 1951 (1991) (Temporary Stay. The Reception of Moluccans in 1951) and Sedjarah Maluku. Molukse geschiedenis in Nederlandse bronnen (1992) (Sedjarah Maluku. Moluccan History in Dutch Sources).

(1965) is a great lover of a wide variety of music, both to play himself and to listen to. As a DJ he has been active in various organisations and groups. In Cultureel Centrum X (Leyden) he devotes himself to world music, taking the dancing people with him on a musical journey round the world. In the poets and musicians collective NV De Nieuwe Wanhoop (The New Despair Ltd.) and as part of the DJ duo Fragment the accent lies on mixing soundscapes, selfmade samples and classical music. During Winternachten he will bring together these various styles in a subtle way.

(1959, Malang, East Java) studied economy and worked as a journalist/researcher for a regional newspaper in Central Java. Since 1987 he has been working with the Indonesian department of the Dutch Radio World Service, starting as a programme maker. Since then he has been responsible for the current affairs programme, broadcast daily in Indonesian. In the 1980s he was a correspondent for a number of Indonesian media. Over the years Joss Wibisono has specialized in Dutch Indonesian relations. He has also done research into the influence of the army on political and economic life in Indonesia and Indonesian federalism. Wibisono is an expert in the field of gamelan ( (traditional Balinese and Javanese music) on western music.

(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.

Valerie van Leersum is a visual artist. Together with composer Gerco Aerts she built the interactive installation Anker Land (Anchor Land). They invite their audience to travel with them to Surinam, Morocco and Indonesia on the basis of some objects. They tell stories of a country left behind, a journey, of the future and desires, of family and traditions.

(1953) is sonologist, gamelan musician and sound engineer. He studied electronic and computer music at the Institute for Sonology at the University of Utrecht. Janssen specializes in computersound synthesis and uses this technique in his compositions and radiophonic works. In his sonologic compositions there are three central elements: natural quality, rationality and emotionalism. The compositions are inspired by comparative philosophy, an amalgamation of western and eastern ways of thinking. That's why Janssen calls his works comparative electronic music. Janssen is fascinated by Javanese gamelan music. Between 1980 and 1986 he followed masterclasses in gendher (a gamelan instrument) at ASKI (Akademi Seni Karawitan Indonesia) in Solo (Java). In the work À la manière de Kulenty, composed on poems by Ajip Rosidi, Janssen combines gamelan with the western trumpet/tuba and electronic sounds. For more than thirty years Jos Janssen has been involved closely in Indonesian society and culture. With his musical activities Janssen wants to contribute to a new and self-confident Indonesia.

has been a teacher since 1968. He published the text book Surinamese Language and Culture and has developed a whole teaching method in Surinamese language and culture. In doing so has has made an attempt to offer Sranantongo at beginners' level. His method is called Mi Tori (My Story). His goal is to have Sranantongo (Surinamese) reintroduced in Surinam. René Hart lives in Amsterdam.

(1975) studied English language and literature and social geography at the University of Amsterdam. Subsequently she worked as a translator of scripts for film production companies and as a copywriter for art institutions such as the Theater Instituut Nederland. In 2001 she became allround editor for de Volkskrant writing among others things on the multicultural society, the media, economics and art. She wrote several articles for the series 'What is leftwing?' published by Meulenhoff. She is on the board of the international filmfestival Africa in the Picture.