Karin Amatmoekrim
(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.
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Warriors! Heroes from Suriname and the Caribbean
Warriors! is an ode in spoken word, music, dance and stories to people from Suriname and the Caribbean who risked their lives to fight for freedom. Heroes from our colonial past that resisted oppression and a lack of freedom. Stories that were previously ignored, made invisible or hidden away. Now, more than 150 years after the abolition of slavery, many stories are emerging, but there also remain many stories that must be told about warriors from the past and warriors of the present.
Gershwin Bonevacia, Dean Bowen, Julien Ignacio, Raj Mohan and OTION - Master of Sceneries presented their own work. In a conversation with presenter Shantie Singh, Karin Amatmoekrim talked about the writer Anil Ramdas, about whom she recently published the biography In wat voor land leef ik eigenlijk? (What Kind of Country Do I Live In, Anyway?).
Tip: Shantie Singh also created Her (s)tories, a theatrical ode to women in Hindustani migration history, which was performed on Friday 12 January 2024 at Theater aan het Spui, The Hague.
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Opening Night
With: Adriaan van Dis, Angelina Enny, Antjie Krog, Cynthia Mc Leod, Ellen Deckwitz, Goenawan Mohamad, Hassnae Bouazza, Jolyn Phillips, Karin Amatmoekrim, Nelleke Noordervliet, Petina Gappah, Reggie Baay, Rosabelle Illes, Shailesh Bahoran, Sigrid Kaag, Simon(e) van Saarloos, Ton van de Langkruis, Vamba Sherif
A fantastic line-up of fifteen Dutch and international authors provided a preview of the festival with their new poetry and prose, mixed with dance performances by Shailesh Bahoran. This festive evening celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Winternachten festival with the presentation of the (Dutch language) anniversary anthology De verovering van Jupiter (Over de dekolonisatie van de geest) (Conquering Jupiter: On decolonising the mind). The festival was opened by Sigrid Kaag, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
At the behest of Writers Unlimited, all contributors wrote a short essay, story or poem for the anthology to reflect on the festival theme. It is a unique collection of 28 wonderful pieces of writing edited by Toef Jaeger and published by Jurgen Maas. It is available at regular bookstores and online.
In the same venue in which the first Indonesian Winternacht (forerunner of Winternachten Festival) took place in 1995 - the Theater aan het Spui - on this jubilee opening night we proudly presented (inter)national writers that have developed a special bond with our festival and its audience. These included: Goenawan Mohamad (Indonesia) and Nelleke Noordervliet - who both performed at the first Winternacht in 1995 -, Adriaan van Dis, Antjie Krog (South Africa), Reggie Baay, Manon Uphoff, Vamba Sherif and Cynthia McLeod (Suriname). Tip: be sure to look up these writers in our online video and sound archive!
Writers Unlimited will always continue to seek out talent, and in 25 years has presented many debuting local and foreign writers. How wonderful, then, to welcome on this evening - once again, or for the first time: Angelina Enny (Indonesia), Rosabelle Illes (Aruba), Jolyn Phillips (South Africa) and, from the Netherlands, Karin Amatmoekrim, Simon(e) van Saarloos and Ellen Deckwitz. We awaited their appearances and recitations with bated breath.
Theatre maker, choreographer and hiphop innovator Shailesh Bahoran performed parts of his dance solo Heritage that was inspired by his Hindostani background; a short video of The Theatre of Wrong Decisions was shown and the Hesce Mourits Quartet of the Royal Conservatory The Hague also performed.
The Opening Night was hosted by Hassnae Bouazza.
The performance of Manon Uphoff, announced for this programme, has been canceled due to illness.
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K.R. Sing en Karin Amatmoekrim
With: K.R. Sing, Karin Amatmoekrim, Noraly Beyer
K.R. Sing's Uit de klei van Saramacca tells a Surinamese-Hindustani family history and was the starting point for a conversation with writers K.R. Sing and Karin Amatmoekrim (ao Knipperleven, Unless the father). They both deschribe the history of Suriname from a Surinamese perspective. With Sing and Amatmoekrim, Noraly Beyer looked at the history of Suriname, in particular the region of Saramacca, where their two roots lie and investigates how the past resounds in the present, and how you are shaped by your roots and history.
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The Wilders Method
With: Abdelkader Benali, Karin Amatmoekrim, Simon(e) van Saarloos
Philosopher Simone van Saarloos attended the trial against politician Geert Wilders, and developed a strong interest in het nationwide fascination for her person, attitude and method. For a long time she closely observed Wilders, his lawyers and the constantly attacked judges. In the book 'ENZ. - het Wildersproces' (ETC. - The Wilders Trial), through analysis and philosophy Van Saarloos tries to get to the bottom of what makes his followers admire him. Abdelkader Benali hosts the programme with Simone van Saarloos, Karin Amatmoekrim and other guests. The programme is Dutch spoken.
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The Writers' Fest
With: Aad Meinderts, Alfred Marseille, Anton Valens, Atte Jongstra, Benno Tempel, Charlotte Van den Broeck, Eric Vloeimans, Hassnae Bouazza, Jan Baeke, Joris Wijsmuller, Karin Amatmoekrim, Katinka Polderman, Kees 't Hart, Max Pam
A festive program built around the presentation of the Jan Campert Prizes, the literary awards of the City of The Hague. We celebrate Dutch literature with a variety of performances by writers, poets and musicians. Writer Karin Amatmoekrim gives us her views on "The State of Dutch Letters." Hassnae Bouazza is the MC.
Before Joris Wijsmuller, alderman for Culture of The Hague, hands out the prizes, the audience will determine which of the three middle-school nominees will receive the first young poet prize of The Hague, The Young Campert Award. Afterward, Jan Baeke receives the Jan Campert Prize for his volume of poetry Seizoensroddel ('Season's Gossip'). He is honoured by video-artist Alfred Marseille, who presents a short film. Anton Valens receives the F. Bordewijk Prize for his novel Het Compostcirculatieplan. His laudatio is gevin by stand-up comedian Katinka Polderman. The essay award, the Greshof Prize, goes to Kees 't Hart for Het gelukkige schrijven. Benno Tempel, director of the The Hague Municipal Museum, will honour him in a speech. The afternoon culminates with the presentation of the Constantijn Huygens Prize for a body of work, which will be given to Atte Jongstra this year. Trumpet player Eric Vloeimans will create a musical improvisation to honour him, and Max Pam will honour him in a speech. The young flemish poet Charlotte Van den Broeck will read her poems to us. This event is a collaboration between the Jan Campert Foundation and the Literatuurmuseum. Programme in Dutch.
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VPRO O.V.T. Live
With: Arnon Grunberg, Bart Funnekotter, Bas Heijne, Eric Vloeimans, Ian Buruma, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Jos Palm, Karin Amatmoekrim, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul van der Gaag
NO TICKETS LEFT - Every Sunday morning, the relevance of history is the focus of one of the most popular radio programs in the Netherlands. This edition of OVT will be broadcast live from the festival's cozy Wintercafé in the Theater aan het Spui. Come watch and listen!
Writers from the Winternachten Festival will join this programme for interviews: Ian Buruma, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Bas Heijne, Karin Amatmoekrim and Arnon Grunberg. Writer Nelleke Noordervliet will read her column. Bart Funnekotter presents the book reviews this week. With live music by trumpet player Eric Vloeimans. Programme in Dutch.
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Love is a strange disease
With: Jan Drost, Jan Hindrik Ravesloot, Karin Amatmoekrim, Katinka Baehr
A programme on being in love and the art of loving. With physiologist Jan Hindrik Ravesloot, philosopher Jan Drost and writer Karin Amatmoekrim. In Dutch. Watch the video.
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Indonesian Winter Kumpulan
With: Adriaan van Dis, Anna Montan, Bodil de la Parra, Dinar Rahayu, Gustaaf Peek, Karin Amatmoekrim, Michaël Olbrechts, Nadja Hüpscher, Patrick Lauwerends, Reggie Baay
A convivial gathering where you can sample Indonesian delicacies while listening to talk of Indonesian literature.
A special programme to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the festival, which was launched in 1995 under the name Indonesian Winternacht. Kumpulan refers to the typical Indonesian "coming together, getting together" with family, friends, and others. Performing writers Karin Amatmoekrim, Reggie Baay, Adriaan van Dis, Gustaaf Peek, and Dinar Rahayu (Indonesia) will talk about moments of Indonesian togetherness
inspired by an object, photo, music clip, or story. We also look forward to the contribution of young Belgian graphic novelist Michael Olbrechts, whose debut De allerlaatste tijger (The Very Last Tiger) draws on the history of his great-grandmother in Java. This cheerful evening is hosted by actresses Bodil de la Parra and Nadja Hüpscher, who toured with the hit play Ouwe pinda's (Old Peanuts). Toko Zwijndrecht will cater Indonesian treats during the intermission, and Anna Montan and Patrick Lauwerends will set the mood with jazzy kroncong. Aduh, such fun! -
Surinamese dreams
'I have a Dream!' Noraly Beyer presents three Dutch/Surinamese authors (Karin Amatmoekrim, Anil Ramdas, Sheila Sitalsing), who will read a column inspired by the famous speech by the reverend King. What do the writers expect and hope for the future of Surinam? In Dutch.
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Wintercafé 2: Hold on! Oulipo.
Hold on! Oulipo and the literary restriction: If you play the game, you make the rules. The French OuLiPo company (Ouvroir Littéraire Potentielle, founded in 1960) thought that with self-imposed literary restrictions one could write potentially interesting texts. In which only the e as a vowel would occur, or a poem in which all the letters of the alphabet would recur.This programme, a co-production of Wintertuin (Nijmegen) and festival Winternachten (The Hague) is a tribute to the writers, mathematicians and philosophers of OuLiPo. Four writers, Saskia de Coster, Karin Amamoetkrin, Anton Valens and Joke van Leeuwen were given a restriction by writer/mathematician Hugo Brandt Corstius in Nijmegen. Now the four writers and their 'patron' get together in The Hague to read the results. Meanwhile, all the texts will have been published in a handy-sized booklet – available at Winternachten in a limited edition!
At the end of this hour there is a performance by saxophonist and composer Maarten Ornstein and Joshua Samson (percussion). Ornstein composed music to poems of the South African poet Ronelda Kamfer. In Dutch. -
For the sake of love - Surinamese and Aruban female writers in the Netherlands
Family ties, migration as an exploratory expedition, and the quest for love. These are the themes in the work of three Caribbean writers in the Netherlands. They write about the search for a new existence overseas. In the Sranantongo poems of the Utrecht-based Celestine Raalte the strong family ties between Creole women play an important part. The Aruban-Dutch Giselle Ecury, wroter of the novel Erfdeel (Inheritance) and the Surinamese-Javanese author Karin Amatmoekrim (Wanneer wij samen zijn; When We are Together) write about migration as an expedition to a new place of their own. Dutch spoken.
