Akwasi
(1988) is a rapper, writer, poet, producer, television host and more. He started rapping at fourteen and founded the group Zwart Licht (Black Light). This group released albums including Leeroy Draait Door (Leeroy Goes Crazy, 2012) and Bliksem (Lightening, 2018). As owner of the Dutch record label Neerlands Dope, he offers young musical talents the opportunity to move from the regional to the national stage. He leads workshops in writing, drama, rap and stage presentation in schools, and acts in Dutch theatre and television series. Akwasi is also a writer, scriptwriter, poet and spoken-word artist. He created ReChill, an innovative programme for children about meditation, for SchoolTV. In his short-story debut Laten we het er maar niet over hebben (Let's Not Talk About It, 2018), he proves himself a masterful storyteller.
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Archive available for: Akwasi
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Free at Last: A Day of Decolonised Life
Exciting! Are these fairy tales or is this finally a decolonised world? Writers Unlimited asked a very international group of eight authors to sum up a day of colonisation-free existence in poetry or prose. Eight days of liberation, each in their own way.
In this event you will see and hear Akwasi, the Dutch rapper, actor and writer of Ghanaian background; Barbaros Altuğ, the Turkish writer, journalist and literary agent; Asmaa Azaizeh, Palestinian poet, journalist and cultural curator born in Lower Galilee in Israel's north; Petina Gappah, lawyer and writer from Zimbabwe; Cağla Meknuze, jounalist and poet from Turkey; Jolyn Phillips, writer, poet and composer from South Africa; Simon(e) van Saarloos, American-Dutch writer and philosopher; and Vamba Sherif, Liberian-Dutch writer and journalist.
The authors present their work in their preferred writing language or mother tongue; Dutch and English translations are projected simultaneously.
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Art Deco - liberating the Arts
How do musicians, (visual) artists and curators deal with decolonization? How does it influence, enrich or hinder their work?
During the Friday Night Unlimited program, several events will focus on the decolonization of the mind. How free is our mind, what does freedom mean, and are we truly free, or caught in the framework of our culture, society and history? This theme is party based on the essay collection Decolonizing the Mind by the Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o, in which he discusses colonized language and how its influence is still notable. Since he believes that language plays a constructive role in culture, history and identity, he argues for "lingustic decolonization".
In this second event, Simon(e) van Saarloos discusses this subject with actor and writer Akwasi, with poet, visual artist and activist Quinsy Gario and with Susan Legène, Professor of Political History at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
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Words Become Meaning - Winternachten Edition
With: Aafke Romeijn, Akwasi, Elfie Tromp, Elzahra Elkawafi, HemelBesem, Jennifer Muntslag, Mr. Winter, Quin Kempees, Roos Dickmann, Roza Lozica
During this special Winternachten edition of Woorden Worden Zinnen at Paard we enjoyed performers, poetry, punchlines, music, exhibits, beer & bites in a feel-good setting. The lineup included storyteller and rapper Akwasi; writer and columnist Elfie Tromp; writer and singer-songwriter Aafke Romeijn; actress Roos Dickmann; rapper, radio host and writer HemelBesem from South Africa; and singer Roza Rozica. Plus: verses to take home by Quin Kempees, your favourite host JNM The Naked MC, and tasty tunes by DJ Winter.
Woorden Worden Zinnen is a low-threshold platform and stage night for word art in the broadest sense. It takes place on and at stages and festivals throughout the Randstad and was founded in 2010 by spoken word artist Elten Kiene and literary organizer Wesley Loos.
