In 1993 writer Jan Brokken settled on Curaçao. He rented a house which had a piano and he spent his first night playing some of Chopin's mazurka's. The following morning he was embraced by his neighbour who exclaimed "I heared you play the piano last night and you were playing our music." That was the beginning of a fascination that led Brokken from Curaçao to Aruba, Cuba, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Trinidad, where he found the same musical patterns everywhere. He collected and took with him a wealth of stories and anecdotes from unique musicians . In Waarom elf Antillianen knielden voor het hart van Chopin (Why eleven Antilleans kneeled before the heart of Chopin), Jan Brokken's latest book, he illuminates one and a half century of Caribbean music. 'In the Caribbean music', he writes, 'I found what I was looking for in my travel stories: that is how different cultures merge into one another.' Using this music as a guideline Jan Brokken offers an unique insight into Antillean history, its way of life and the mentality. This evening you can listen to the story of Jan Brokken and to the music of the Konjunto Antyano quartet, directed by Randal Corsen. Dutch spoken.

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