Burger King & Citizenship

Since the crisis there has been a lot of talk about consumer confidence. But what about ‘citizen confidence'? The 21st century citizen seems to be adrift. He feels powerless, unheard and misunderstood. The expressions of discontent, the analyses of the causes and the attempts at a solution are endless: From Occupy to the Tea Party. Tonight the citizens speak in the greenhouse in front of the theatre. You can watch and listen outside.

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Information

Date and time Saturday 21 January 2012 21:00 tot 23:00 uur
Location Theater aan het Spui - De Kas

Since the crisis there has been a lot of talk about consumer confidence. But what about ‘citizen confidence'? The 21st century citizen seems to be adrift. He feels powerless, unheard and misunderstood. The expressions of discontent, the analyses of the causes and the attempts at a solution are endless: From Occupy to the Tea Party. In Burger King & Citizenship a debate on the citizen in the present democracy. Does the notion of ‘citizen' still exist or has democracy slowly turned into a plutocracy acting as democracy? Who possesses the power and the laws: the citizen or the banks? Tonight the citizens speak, in the greenhouse in front of the theatre. You can watch and listen outside.

Line-up

David Van Reybrouck

(Belgium, 1971) is an author, historian and archaeologist, known for his multifaceted contributions to literature and intellectual discourse. He is currently Philosopher Laureate of the Low Countries. Upon his appointment, he published De wereld en de aarde (The World and the Earth, 2025), in which he makes a groundbreaking proposal to radically broaden our thinking—and our politics. For the greatest security issue of our time is not the world with its mutual conflicts, but the earth, which is becoming increasingly disrupted. His oeuvre covers a range of genres, including historical non-fiction, poetry, and theater. Among his best-known works are Congo (2010), about the country's bewildering history, and Revolusi (2020), which places Indonesia's struggle for independence in a global perspective through eyewitness accounts. In addition to his literary work, Van Reybrouck is known as ‘one of Europe's leading intellectuals’ (Tagesspiegel), whose ideas relate to themes such as democracy, climate, and colonialism. He regularly publishes opinion pieces in international publications. 

Go to the website of David Van Reybrouck
Instagram: @david.vanreybrouck
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Patrick van der Hijden

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Samuel Vriezen

Chris Keulemans

(Tunisia, 1960) is a writer, essayist, traveller and popular panel moderator. He has published fiction and non-fiction; was the director of the debating platform and venue De Balie; and was founder of the literary bookshop Perdu and the cultural centre De Tolhuistuin (all in Amsterdam). He performed with Enkidu Khaled in their jointly created documentary play Bagdad. Due to his curiosity about how artists recreate their cities after a crisis, he travelled to Sarajevo, Beirut, Tirana, Algiers, New York, Kiev, Jakarta and Qamishlo. At the invitation of PAX, he wrote Srebrenica & PAX 1995-2020, an overview of 25 years of support to the Association of Women of Srebrenica by the IKV and PAX in response to the genocide in Bosnia. In 2021 he published Gastvrijheid (Hospitality), in which he explores the art of hospitality through a mix of travel stories, observations, memories and imagery.
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