Raoul de Jong

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• Foto
  Winternachten 2023

  Raoul de Jong in De Haagse Hogeschool

  With: Aaron Bangudi, Raoul de Jong

  Raoul de Jong was the interview guest of The Lighthouse/De Haagse Hogeschool and the Winternachten festival on Thursday afternoon 13 April 2023. In the conversation (free entrance), the writer sppke about his novel Jaguarman - adventure novel and hommage to Suriname, the land of his father - and his Boekenweek essay Boto Banja - about descendants of enslaved people claiming their place in the world as writers. The interview took place from 4 to 5 PM at the Speakers' Corner of De Haagse Hogeschool, Johanna Westerdijkplein in The Hague (next to Hollands Spoor railway station). Interviewer was Aaron Bangudi, a student of the Haagse Hogeschool's European Studies course.

  In 2023, it will be 150 years since the Netherlands abolished slavery in Suriname. Winternachten festival gives writers and poets the floor to talk about the traces of colonialism, slavery and indentured labour in language, stories and poems: on Thursday 13 April (16:00-17:00) in a conversation with Raoul de Jong in De Haagse Hogeschool, and on Sunday 16 April in Theater aan het Spui with the programmes Verhalen die verbinden (14:30-17:00, Dutch spoken) and All the World's Excuses (19:30-22:00, English spoken).

  Thursday 13 April 2023, 16:00-17:00: Raoul de Jong in De Haagse Hogeschool
  Raoul de Jong (Rotterdam, 1984) writes novels, literary nonfiction and essays in publications such as Vrij Nederland, Het Parool and NRC Handelsblad. He received the Dick Scherpenzeel Prize for his novel Stinknegers (2006), in which the main character travels solo through West Africa. He also published, among others, Het leven is verschrikkulluk (2005), It's Amaaazing (2006), Miracoloso (2008), De grootsheid van het al (2013) and Dagboek van een puber (2018). In Jaguarman; Mijn vader, zijn vader en andere Surinaamse helden (2020), a mix of fiction, nonfiction and travelogue, he speaks to archaeologists, dance teachers and winti priests in Suriname, and gets to know Surinamese writers, thinkers and resistance heroes such as Anton de Kom, Papa Koenders and Bram Behr. He wonders why it is that their voices have often been hushed up and forgotten until now. De Jong is co-creator of the collection Dat wij zongen: twintig Caraïbische schrijvers om nooit te vergeten (2022) and received the Anna Blaman Prize in 2022 for his entire oeuvre. He is working on the script for a film about the Surinamese anti-colonialist, writer and resistance fighter Anton de Kom. Together with Noraly Beyer, he makes The Correspondent podcast Tigri Tories (2023) about Surinamese writers everyone should read. 2023 published his Boekenweek essay Boto Banja of: het geheime genootschap der dansende schrijvers.

  Sunday afternoon 16 April 2023, 14:30-17:00 in Theater aan het Spui: Verhalen die verbinden with a.o. Astrid H. Roemer and Tessa Leuwsha
  The Winternachten festival programme Verhalen die verbinden explored Dutch colonial history in our literature, language and music. Prominent Surinamese authors Astrid H. Roemer and Tessa Leuwsha talked to Maria Vlaar and Fiep van Bodegom respectively about the meaning of 150 years of abolition of slavery for themselves, their country, their families and their books. Both published new books in 2023: Astrid H. Roemer published the novel DealersDochter, Tessa Leuwsha published De wilde vaart: op zoek naar de veerkracht van Suriname.

  Authors Tessa Leuwsha and Daphne Huisden read from their contributions to Dat wij zongen (2022, edition: Das Mag), the collection in which twenty prominent writers of today speak out for a Caribbean author of the past who inspired them personally.

  Singer Angel ArunA performed her own work, and poetry by poet and singer-songwriter Raj Mohan in Sarnámi. Also performing were soprano Lucretia Starke and countertenor Arturo den Hartog, accompanied by six musicians from ensemble Holland Baroque.

  The talks and performances in Zaal 1 were followed in the theatre foyer by a short follow-up programme with contributions and readings by Rabin Baldewsingh, writer and, since 2021, National Coordinator against Discrimination, among others. Presentation: Sarita Bajnath.

  Sunday evening 16 April 2023, 19:30-22:00 at Theater aan het Spui: All the World's Excuses with Caleb Azumah Nelson, David Diop, Chika Unigwe, Neske Beks and others
  In the Winternachten festival programme All the World's Excuses, prominent authors Chika Unigwe (US, a.o. On Black Sisters' Street), David Diop (France, International Booker Prize-winner for At Night All Blood is Black) and Caleb Azumah Nelson (UK, a.o. the exceptionally well-received debut novel Open Water) talked about the global traces of slavery and how this permeates our current society, literature and their books. They addressed (post)colonialism, migration and identity formation. And, of course, they read from their own work. Writer Astrid H. Roemer and poet Radna Fabias also contributed with readings from their work.

  This program was English spoken.

  Furthermore, writer Neske Beks (Belgium) talked about how her new book De kleine Morrison, een wegwijzer in het lezen van haar werk vanuit Zwart perspectief (2023) relates to the theme of All the World's Excuses, and whether this also applies to authors from the Netherlands or Flanders with roots in former colonies.

  Singer Angel ArunA performed her own work, and poetry by poet and singer-songwriter Raj Mohan in Sarnámi.

  About The Lighthouse
  The Lighthouse is a platform for students of De Haagse Hogeschool with activities on current and social issues and global issues. It offers activities such as lectures, discussion and debate, workshops, exhibitions, films and documentaries. The Lighthouse's events take place in and around the central courtyard of De Haagse Hogeschool's building at Johanna Westerdijkplein, right next to Hollands Spoor station, in The Hague. All events are free for all those interested.

• Winternachten 2022

  Winternachten Concert - In the Dream House

  With: Benzokarim, Iman Mersal, Jose Pepe Garcia, Laura van Dolron, Marian Markelo, Merel Vercammen, Raoul de Jong, Sanneke van Hassel, Sef, Shishani, Sterre Konijn, Xavi Torres

  Winternachten Festival, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and Amare present: In the Dream House

  The summer edition of Winternachten Festival concluded in high style in the concert hall of Amare with "In the Dream House." Writers, poets and artists brought their dream house to life in word, imagery and music. It was a program full of bright, warm and dark desires; of ancestors and wise women; of loss and pleasure. You were enchanted by hip-hop icon Sef, Winti priestess Marian Markelo, writers Raoul de Jong and Sanneke van Hassel, singer-songwriter Shishani, spoken-word artist Benzokarim, poet Iman Mersal, and singer Sterre Konijn. Drummers from the Royal Conservatory: guided by Pepe Garcia set the rhythm, and our dream hostess, theatre producer and stand-up philosopher Laura van Dolron ensured that you feel at home right away.

  Bring along your home to our dream house
  To properly shelter all these dreams, we asked the public as well as artists to share their idea of "home." You brought something with you that feels "like home" or with which you'd brighten your home: a plant, teacup, dishrag or mood lamp... We loved to hear the story behind your dream-house artifact! You could write to us ahead of time or tell us upon arrival; Sanneke van Hassel and Anouk Driessen recorded it and gave it a good spot in the room. In this way we created a living archive of our dream houses together, inspired by the novel In the Dream House by the U.S. writer Carmen Maria Machado. Also, you didn't go home empty-handed, because afterwards you took home someone else's object and story.

  Dutch spoken.

• Video
  Winternachten 2022 – Friday Night Unlimited

  Masculinity in Crisis

  Are there still angry men at this festival!?! - with Jens van Tricht, Raoul de Jong, Linda Duits and Robin Block
  
  While all kinds of emancipation are taking place at great speed, one group seems to be missing the boat: the white, heterosexual, cisgender man. Until recently, this group was in charge and able to say anything, but now more and more often feels silenced and unheard. And naturally, that leads to anger and sadness. In this panel discussion we addressed the question of why young men more and more frequently find connection in (online) subcultures such as inceldom (involuntary celibacy). In many cases, loneliness and an inflated idea of masculinity play a role.
  
  Has the emancipation of all non-men (and others) led to a crisis of masculinity? How can we better understand angry men - via empathy? And why, actually, are there so few men on stage at Winternachten? Autor and researcher Linda Duits discussesed this matter with as many as three men at once. While they are not representatives of the angry white hetero male, they are experts in all aspects of masculinity. First of all, there was poet and musician Robin Block, who heads a men's group in his free time and knows all too well how important a "community" of their own is for men. He was joined by Jens van Tricht, author and founder of the men's emancipation platform Emancipator, who can explain in great detail why men need feminism. Author and dancer Raoul de Jong was already the subject of documentary about masculinity in 2005 and brings another perspective: do we even still need to talk about masculinity and femininity as if they were mutually exclusive?
  
  Together, in this event they opened the discussion on a phenomenon that, as we all know, can elicit a great deal of resistance. But this was an important topic under the banner of the Whose House is This? theme. We need everyone - men, women, and those who don't feel at home in these categories, angry or not - to make up an equitable society. Therefore, it was time to understand and get to know angry men better.

  Dutch spoken.

• Video
  Winternachten 2022 – Friday Night Unlimited

  Home & Violence

  With Manon Uphoff, Shantie Singh, Sanneke van Hassel, Raoul de Jong, Müesser Yeniay, Margijn Bosch & Meltem Halaceli
  For whom is home actually home? What if your safest place isn't safe at all? Why does "domestic violence" sound like something "domestic" or even cozy? The theme Whose House is This? also requires us to discuss human violence within walls, war and peace under our own roofs, the unsafe interior world that so often remains hiden. Domestic violence, especially against women, is not a matter of isolated incidents but a societal problem. Or, like Manon Uphoff said in an interview: "They are shards that together form a mirror into which society needs to look."

  What does literature tell us about this great theme? We invited you to an initial exploration, a collage of literary texts about domestic violence. Manon Uphoff, Iris van Vliet, Shantie Singh and Sanneke van Hassel of the writers' collective Fixdit, together with Meltem Halaceli and Ellen Walraven of Winternachten, collected a large number of literary excerpts for this event.

  Writers Manon Uphoff, Sanneke van Hassel, Shantie Singh, Raoul de Jong, Müesser Yeniay, Meltem Halaceli and actor Margijn Bosch read these excerpts in an intimate setting, close to the public. We read works by and sometimes also with the actual authors:
  Elif Shafak, Manon Uphoff, Shantie Singh, Margaret Atwood, Rebecca Solnit, Alice Munro, Astrid Roemer, Philip Huff, A.M. Homes, Müesser Yeniay, Ronelda Kamfer and many more. And yes, this could be painful and confrontational. But this topic deserved a literary investigation and probe. What is going on in the various rooms of ever-changing houses in which it is not safe?

  Dutch spoken.

• Video
  Slow Winternachten festival februari & maart 2021

  It's Up to Us & PEN Award

  With: Arnon Grunberg, Eva Meijer, Jaap Tielbeke, Mirthe Frese, Raoul de Jong, Salena Godden, Samanta Schweblin, Simon(e) van Saarloos, Tsitsi Dangarembga

  "It's up to us" is a statement made by philosopher, songwriter and author Eva Meijer in a radio program, as she was speaking about her novel De nieuwe rivier (The New River), which deals with the climate crisis. It's no longer up to you, the individual, to make the difference, but up to us. This statement became the theme of this online edition of the Winternachten Festival. But we also pose the question of which "us" we are talking about. Who is we?

  We discussed this matter with writers Arnon Grunberg, Eva Meijer, Raoul de Jong, Tsitsi Dangarembga and Samanta Schweblin, moderated by Mirthe Frese.

  0:00 - Intro.
  1:52 - Arnon Grunberg (Netherlands), opening statement.
  11:13 - Eva Meijer, Raoul de Jong (Netherlands), intro discussion
  12:21 - Eva Meijer, recitation
  14:01 - Raoul de Jong, discussion and recitation
  17:16 - Eva Meijer, Raoul de Jong, discussion
  32:11- Raoul de Jong, recitation
  33:12 - Salena Godden (UK), spoken word
  39:28 - Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), interview
  52:57 - Simon(e) van Saarloos, performance
  1:00:40 - Samanta Schweblin (Germany), interview.
  1:11:52 - Jaap Tielbeke (Netherlands), performance.
  1:16:58 - Arnon Grunberg, interview.
  1:21:43 - Tsitsi Dangarembga, life and work video
  1:30:08 - PEN Award for Tsitsi Dangarembga.

  Arnon Grunberg opened the discussion by a statement from New York. In his speech on Remembrance Day in The Netherlands, Grunberg made it clear that we must take a good long look at ourselves; racism is deeply rooted in our culture. Our "we" is still far from inclusive.

  In connection with his new novel Jaguarman, Raoul de Jong told Dutch daily de Volkskrant that, currently, one is often expected to feel like the representative of a group. He prefers to stay true to his own rhythm and message.

  The Zimbabwean writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga, taking part from Harare, spoke about what "we" means to her in Zimbabwe's current postwar society. Dangarembga's novel This Mourning Body was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.

  With the Argentinean author Samanta Schweblin, Mirthe Frese talked about the interconnectedness of mankind, and about humanity in an era of new technologies. These appear to form a new universal language between people. In her novel Little Eyes Schweblin investigates how technology creates togetherness and alienation.

  To broaden the sense of "we", the Winternachten Festival asked three authors to write a dedicated contribution about the Winternachten festival theme. We saw and heard, from here or far away, Salena Godden, Simon(e) van Saarloos and Jaap Tielbeke. From whose idea of "we" do they want to make a difference? What is needed to feel a sense of "us"? And is it even really up to us? Arnon Grunberg concluded by reflecting on the conversations and sharing his thoughts.

  Following this discussion, the PEN Award for Freedom of Expression was handed out to Tsitsi Dangarembga. With The PEN Award, in a co-production with PIP The Hague that supports the Award, writers organisation PEN International honours authors who seek and speak out the truth risking their freedom and lives.

  Read here the contributions written for this programme on request of the Winternachten international literature festival The Hague:

  • The Religion of Group Identity | Arnon Grunberg
    
  • A different kind of we | Eva Meijer
  • Letter to My Younger Self | Jaap Tielbeke
  • Everything is Anana | Raoul de Jong
  • We could be Heroes | Salena Godden
  • I have little time and lots to say | Simon(e) van Saarloos

  
  (Find the Dutch-language versions here/Lees hier de Nederlandstalige versies)

  Learn more here:

  Tsitsi Dangarembga
  "Life in an 'ever narrowing Zimbabwe'", interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga, Al-Jazeera, 2020
  Video: "Being shorlisted for the Booker Prize changed my life", interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga, France24, 2020

  
  Salena Godden
  website
  Video: Salena Godden recites her poem The Letter from the collection Pessimism is for Lightweights, ArtHouse Jersey, 2020
  Video: Salena Godden, spoken-word performance I want to be your wife, lead track of her newly released The Lockdown EP, Nymphs & Thugs, 2020

  Arnon Grunberg
  website
  Video: conversation with Arnon Grunberg about what the covid19-pandemic means for our society and democracy, De Balie Live, 2020

  Raoul de Jong
  website
  Audio: interview with Raoul de Jong about his novel Jaguarman, Radio Rijnmond, 2020

  Eva Meijer
  website
  Interview with Eva Meijer about De nieuwe rivier (The New River), Het Parool, 2020
  Video: Interview with Eva Meijer about her book De nieuwe rivier (The New River), Kunststof, NPO Radio 1

  Simon(e) van Saarloos
  website
  Instagram
  Audio The Asterisk Conversation #1 podcast: Simon(e) van Saarloos, Nalo Hopkinson, Tirsa With, Writers Unlimited, 2020

  Samanta Schweblin
  Instagram
  Video: Samanta Schweblin talks about her book Duizend ogen (Little Eyes, 2020)

  Jaap Tielbeke
  Essays and articles by Jaap Tielbeke in De Groene Amsterdammer

  
  

• Video
  Winternachten 2021

  Opening Night: It's Up to Us & PEN Award

  With: Arnon Grunberg, Eva Meijer, Jaap Tielbeke, Mirthe Frese, Raoul de Jong, Salena Godden, Samanta Schweblin, Simon(e) van Saarloos, Tsitsi Dangarembga

  "It's Up to Us" is a statement made by philosopher, songwriter and author Eva Meijer in a radio program, as she was speaking about her novel De nieuwe rivier (The New River), which deals with the climate crisis. It's no longer up to you, the individual, to make the difference, but up to us. This statement was chosen as the theme of this online edition of the Winternachten Festival. However, we pose the question of which "us" we are talking about. Who is we?

  We discussed this matter with writers Arnon Grunberg, Eva Meijer, Raoul de Jong, Tsitsi Dangarembga and Samanta Schweblin, moderated by Mirthe Frese.

  Arnon Grunberg opened the discussion with a statement from New York. In his Dutch Remembrance Day speech, Grunberg made it clear that we must take a good long look at ourselves; racism is deeply rooted in our culture. Our "we" is still far from inclusive.

  In connection with his new novel Jaguarman, Raoul de Jong told the Dutch daily De Volkskrant that, these days, one is often expected to represent a group. He prefers to stay true to his own rhythm and message.

  The Zimbabwean writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga, taking part from Harare, spoke about what "we" means to her in Zimbabwe's current postwar society. Dangarembga's novel This Mourning Body was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.

  The Argentinean author Samanta Schweblin spoke about the interconnectedness of mankind, and about humanity in an era of new technologies. These appear to form a new universal language between people. In her novel Little Eyes, Schweblin investigates how technology creates togetherness and alienation.

  To broaden the sense of "we", the Winternachten Festival commissioned three authors to write a short piece on the Winternachten festival theme. From their own perspectives, we heard from Salena Godden, Simon(e) van Saarloos and Jaap Tielbeke. From whose idea of "we" do they intend to make a difference? What is needed to feel a sense of "us"? And is it even really up to us? To conclude, Arnon Grunberg reflected on the conversations and shared his thoughts.

  Following this discussion, the PEN Award for Freedom of Expression was presented to Tsitsi Dangarembga. In a coproduction with PIP The Hague, which supports this prize, the writers' organization PEN International honours authors who currently seek out and speak the truth at risk to their freedom and lives with the PEN Award.
  Watch a film portrait of Tsitsi Dangarembga here.

  You can read the contributions commissioned for this program by the Winternachten International Literature Festival The Hague here:

  • The Religion of Group Identity | Arnon Grunberg
    
  • A Different Kind of We | Eva Meijer
  • Letter to My Younger Self | Jaap Tielbeke
  • Everything is Anana | Raoul de Jong
  • We Could be Heroes | Salena Godden
  • I Have Little Time and Lots to Say | Simon(e) van Saarloos

  
  (Find the Dutch-language versions here/Lees hier de Nederlandstalige versies)

  More background:

  Tsitsi Dangarembga
  "Life in an 'ever narrowing Zimbabwe'", interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga, Al-Jazeera, 2020
  Video: "Being shorlisted for the Booker Prize changed my life", interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga, France24, 2020

  
  Salena Godden
  website
  Video: Salena Godden recites her poem The Letter from the collection Pessimism is for Lightweights, ArtHouse Jersey, 2020
  Video: Salena Godden, spoken-word performance I want to be your wife, lead track of her newly released The Lockdown EP, Nymphs & Thugs, 2020

  Arnon Grunberg
  website
  Video: conversation with Arnon Grunberg about what the covid19 pandemic means for our society and democracy, De Balie Live, 2020

  Raoul de Jong
  website
  Audio: interview with Raoul de Jong about his novel Jaguarman, Radio Rijnmond, 2020

  Eva Meijer
  website
  Interview with Eva Meijer about De nieuwe rivier (The New River), Het Parool, 2020
  Video: Interview with Eva Meijer about her book De nieuwe rivier (The New River), Kunststof, NPO Radio 1

  Simon(e) van Saarloos
  website
  Instagram
  Audio The Asterisk Conversation #1 podcast: Simon(e) van Saarloos, Nalo Hopkinson, Tirsa With, Writers Unlimited, 2020

  Samanta Schweblin
  Instagram
  Video: Samanta Schweblin talks about her book Duizend ogen (Little Eyes, 2020)

  Jaap Tielbeke
  Essays and articles by Jaap Tielbeke in De Groene Amsterdammer