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Hashem Kabreet

Hashem Kabreet
Hashem Kabreet

(Syria) is a percussionist, trainer and workshop leader. He plays various oriental and world percussion instruments (frame drum, darbouka, djembe, cajon, handpan) in bands such as Étoiles Electriques and HAN Here & Now, in a variety of musical styles. For organisations like Sounds of Change, Raw Resonance, Art Root Collective, Orchestre Partout and Fort van de Verbeelding, he leads music workshops and creative trainings.

(WU2024)

Archive available for: Hashem Kabreet

  • Writers Unlimited 2024

    Opening Night Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague

    With: Adriaan van Dis, Aminatta Forna, Burhan Sönmez, Celeste Ng, Daniëlle Zawadi, Emilienne Malfatto, Hashem Kabreet, Jan van Zanen, Jörgen Tjon A Fong, Judith Uyterlinde, Sholeh Rezazadeh

    Freedom to speak or write is important but impossible for many. The festival opened with "human voices" (the theme of this edition) from The Netherlands and beyond: a unique lineup of famous writers speaking out. This was one of those evenings of inspiration, creative thoughts and apt words that make a deep impression. Meet the authors who make their voices heard for four delightful days of this Hague festival!

    Opening Night 2024 was focused on freedom of speech and the power of literature, with appearances and readings by US author Celeste Ng, internationally one of the most-read authors with Asian roots; the British writer Aminatta Forna (The Hired Man); Adriaan van Dis, whose moving new novel Naar zachtheid en een warm omhelzen was published Fall 2023; Burhan Sönmez, author of Istanbul, Istanbul and chair of the writers organization PEN International.

    Young spoken-word artist and writer DaniÃ"lle Zawadi from The Hague and, accompanied by percussionist Hashem Kabreet, writer and novelist Sholeh Rezazadeh gave spoken word performances.

    Host Jörgen Tjon A Fong discussed with the US novelist Celeste Ng (Our Missing Hearts) and French writer and photojournalist Emilienne Malfatto (Le Colonel ne dort pas; The Colonel Doesn't Sleep) what "human voices" means to them in relation to freedom of speech. Finally, Hague mayor Jan van Zanen kicked things off by officially opening the festival!

    The programme included the short film Monument for murdered writers and journalists 2023, a project by Theatre of Wrong Decisions, Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) and PEN International.

    Our favourite Hague bookstore De Vries Van Stockum had well-stocked tables of books for sale in the foyer of the Theater aan het Spui throughout the festival (English and Dutch language) by the authors appearing at the festival. Browse to your heart's content, and maybe the author is even present to personally sign your freshly bought book.

  • Writers Unlimited 2024

    Poetry and music: Sholeh Rezazadeh & Hashem Kabreet in Laak

    With: Hashem Kabreet, Sholeh Rezazadeh

    On Thursday afternoon, 18 January, writer and poet Sholeh Rezazadeh was in Laak courtesy of the Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague (18-21 January). She recited poetry, accompanied by percussionist Hashem Kabreet on handpan in Bibliotheek Laakkwartier, Vadercentrum-ADAM and the VrouwenBuurtLab. Free entry, everyone was welcome!

    Rezazadeh won the El Hizjra Prize for her poetry in 2019 en reached the finals of the Dutch Championship Poetry Slam in 2020. She wrote two wonderful bestselling novels in Dutch: De hemel is altijd paars (The Sky is Always Purple) and Ik ken een berg die op me wacht (I Know a Mountain Waiting for Me). Her books, poems and spoken-word performances are about family, identity, love, migration and nature.

    Rezazadeh and Kabreet perform:
    15:00-15:30 uur at Bibliotheek Laakkwartier, Linnaeusstraat 2
    15:45-16:15 uur at Vadercentrum-ADAM, Jonckbloetplein 24
    16:30-17:00 uur at VrouwenBuurtLab Laak, Van Meursstraat 1

    Sholeh Rezazadeh (Iran, 1989) -- writer, poet, performer and columnist -- received much praise and prizes for her first novel De hemel is altijd paars (The Sky is Always Purple). Readers were moved by the story of a young woman working in a charity shop, who falls in love with a musician and remembers her native country of Iran with love and pain. Rezazadeh studied medicine and came to The Netherlands in 2015. She has been published in many Dutch publications and is a columnist with Het Financieele Dagblad newspaper.

    Her second novel, Ik ken een berg die op me wacht (I Know a Mountain Waiting for Me), appeared in 2023. In the same poetic style as the first novel, Rezazadeh writes about a woman who turns her life upside down to travel from Amsterdam to Iran to join a nomadic family; it is a story of longing for space and quiet, told from the perspective of a river.


    Hashem Kabreet is a percussionist, trainer and workshop leader. He plays on Eastern and world percussion instruments (frame drum, darbouka, djembe, cajon, handpan) in bands such as Étoiles Électriques and HAN Here & Now, in various musical styles. He leads music workshops and creative trainings for organizations such as Sounds of Change, Raw Resonance, Art Root Collective, Orchestre Partout and Fort van de Verbeelding.

    Organization by Laaktheater and Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague.

    Festival tip: Sholeh Rezazadeh and Hashem Kabreet also appeared on Opening Night (18 January, Theater aan het Spui); and Rezazadeh also performed during the grand festival event Friday Night Unlimited (19 January) where you chose your own route along some twenty programmes on five stages at Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag.

    From 18 to 21 January 2024, the festival could be found in theatres, libraries and schools throughout The Hague: from Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, Koninklijke Schouwburg and Paard to Theater Dakota, the Nieuw Waldeck, Schilderswijk and Ypenburg libraries and Haagse Hogeschool. With over ninety writers, poets and spoken-word artists and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. With readings, prose, poetry, storytelling, spoken word, author interviews, topical talks, films and music.

  • Winternachten 2023

    Haagse literatuurprijzen: a festive programme celebrating The Hague's Literary Award winners

    With: Aad Meinderts, Amara van der Elst, Chelsy Valentina, Dominique De Groen, Donald Niedekker, Farah Karimi, Hasan Gök, Hashem Kabreet, Hassnae Bouazza, Jeremy Jordan Rosa, Jina Sumedi, Kaja Wolffers, LUWTEN, Marion Bloem, Marjan Slob, Obe Alkema, Orchestre Partout, Saskia Bruines, Sinan Can

    The Winternachten festival 2023 opened with prose, poetry, spoken word, music and the ceremony of the literary prizes of the City of the The Hague. The prize winners Marion Bloem, Donald Niedekker, Dominique De Groen and Marjan Slob (respectively) received the Constantijn Huygens-, F. Bordewijk-, Jan Campert-, and J. Greshoff- prizes from Saskia Bruines, alderman of Finance, Culture and Economy of The Hague.

    The prize winners were each of them be honoured with performances by special guests, including research journalist and documentary filmmaker Sinan Can, poet Obe Alkema, The Hague student Jeremy Jordan Rosa and film and TV producer Kaja Wolffers (son of Marion Bloem).

    The programme kicked off with the first official performance of Chelsy Valentina, the brand new and first Jonge Stadsdichter van Den Haag 2023 (Young City Poet of The Hague). Percussionist and handpan player Hashem Kabreet and Orchestre Partout gave music performances.

    Farah Karimi, who chaired the Board of Writers Unlimited, and Aad Meinderts, director of the Literatuurmuseum spoke words of welcome. Additionally, the jubilee publication on the occasion of 75 years of The Hague literary prizes, was presented to the alderman.

    Lobby programme with Amara van der Elst, Hasan Gök and the Jonge Stadsdichter
    From 14:30 hours, preceding the award ceremony in Zaal 1, spoken word artist Hasan Gök presented from the lobby stage a short interview with Chelsey Valentina, the Jonge Stadsdichter (Young Civic Poet). Spoken word artist Amara van der Elst performed, and also Hasan Gök performed some of his poems, accompanied by Jina Sumedi on keyboard.

    Bookstore De Vries van Stockum was present in the lobby with a stand offering books by participating authors of this programme, among others — including signing opportunties!

    Haagse literatuurprijzen was curated by Jet Steinz for Literatuurmuseum/Writers Unlimited. Moderator was Hassnae Bouazza.