Reggie Baay
(Netherlands, 1955) won much praise for his books about the njai, women in the Dutch East Indies who lived in concubinage and had children with Dutch men. He debuted in 2006 with the semi-autobiographical novel De ogen van Solo (Solo's Eyes), dealing with the rootlessness of people from the Dutch East Indies. Gebleekte ziel (Bleached Soul, 2012) is a novel based on historical fact about the son of a Balinese nobleman sent to the Netherlands to be "bleached", to erase his indigenous identity. Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht (Something Horrible Happened There) is a non-fiction book about the unknown history of slavery in the Dutch East Indies. In 2018 he published the documentary novel Het kind met Japanse ogen (The Child with Japanese Eyes), a personal quest and historical investigation into the life of his father.
(WN 2020)Share this page
Archive available for: Reggie Baay
-
VPRO OVT Live
With: Anneloes Timmerije, Clarice Gargard, Dido Michielsen, Ellen Deckwitz, Jos Palm, Liesbeth Zegveld, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul van der Gaag, Reggie Baay, Robin Block, Stefan Hertmans
Every Sunday morning, the topicality of history is the focus of one of the most popular radio programs in the Netherlands. On Sunday morning, 19 January 2020, OVT will be broadcast live from Writers Unlimited festival in Theater aan het Spui. You can listen to and watch discussions, interviews and stories by festival authors and others. Hosts: Paul van der Gaag and Jos Palm. Program in Dutch.
-
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.
-
Book of My Life: Reggie Baay
Writers tell us about their favourite book: the book that inspires or touches them, that set their artistic, moral or intellectual compass. In short, the book they would recommend to everyone. Interview: Hassnae Bouazza.
-
Unmasking Colonial Myths
Are we dealing with stubbornly clinging myths about colonial times? Writers Reggie Baay, Cynthia McLeod and Johan Fretz discuss colonial myths under the guidance of moderator Sarah Sluimer, with an introductory reading by Nelleke Noordervliet.
The romantic idea lives on that the Netherlands introduced civilization and welfare as a colonizer. But wasn't something specific taken away before that, namely spices and raw materials, at the cost of the local population? Do these myths manifest themselves only in our thoughts or do they also creep into our literature? Have we learned from our history?
-
Letters from Overseas
In 1795, the once-enslaved but later freed Wilhelmina Kelderman sent a heartbreaking letter from Paramaribo to her former master. The letter never arrived, as it was on a ship hijacked by the English, ended up in an archive, and was only opened two centuries later.
Writers Unlimited festival asked nine authors to write a letter to someone in a (former) colony, inspired by Wilhelmina's entreaty, and to present it at this event. They will recite them in their mother tongue or preferred language of writing; English or Dutch translations will be simultaneously projected.
Participants are Antjie Krog (South Africa), Alfred Birney, Reggie Baay, Ellen Deckwitz, Rosabelle Illes (Aruba), Jolyn Phillips (South Africa), Jasper Albinus, poet Angelina Enny (Indonesia) and poet, musician and theatre maker Robin Block.
Tip: Antjie Krog, Reggie Baay, Ellen Deckwitz and Jolyn Phillips will also read from their contributions to the 25th anniversary Winternachten festival anthology during the Opening Night - A Free Mind on Wednesday, 15 January at Theater aan het Spui.
-
Indo-European parents: stories behind the silence - Reggie Baay & Adriaan van Dis
With: Adriaan van Dis, Paul van der Gaag, Reggie Baay
A programme in Dutch on the colonial heritage in Indo-European families in The Netherlands. Writers Adriaan van Dis and Reggie Baay both wrote autobiographical novels on the lives of their parents, during the Second World War in Indonesia, and the Indonesian struggle for independence in the years after. When the parents die, the children try to reconstruct the real story that was never told to them.
Hosted by Paul van der Gaag (VPRO radio O.v.t.)
Curated by Ton van de Langkruis (Writers Unlimited). Bookselling by Van Stockum Boekverkopers
-
VPRO's OVT Live
With: Bas Heijne, Cynthia Mc Leod, De Règâhs, Elsbeth Etty, Mathijs Deen, Nelleke Noordervliet, Paul Scheffer, Paul van der Gaag, Reggie Baay, Stefan Hertmans, Ton van de Langkruis
One of the most popular programmes on Radio 1 is VPRO's OVT (Simple Past Tense). Every Sunday the contemporary relevance of history takes centre stage.
It has become a tradition for OVT's radio professionals to relocate to The Hague during the festival in order to broadcast live from the cozy lobby of Theater aan het Spui. The public is most welcome; admission and coffee are free. The programme includes a spoken commentary by Nelleke Noordervliet, an interview with Bas Heijne on Couperus, and a focus on writer Reggie Baay and his just-published book Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht (Something Terrible Happened There), about the hidden history of slavery in the Dutch East Indies. With live music by the The Hague band De Règâhs. Don't forget to reserve your spot via the blue link above. Programme in Dutch.
-
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! -
Forgotten Slavery in the Dutch East Indies
When slavery comes up, everyone thinks of Suriname and the Antilles but never of Indonesia. Why has the Dutch history of more than 260 years of slave trade in the Dutch East Indies been collectively forgotten? Exactly 155 years after the (official) abolition of slavery in the Dutch East Indies, Reggie Baay published Daar werd wat gruwelijks verricht (Something Terrible Happened There), a non-fiction book about the unknown history of slavery in the Dutch East Indies. Paul van der Gaag leads a conversation about forgetting, remembrance, and slavery in the "other former Dutch colony." In Dutch.
-
Around the World with Umar - Stories from Home
Umar Mirza (the young editor-in-chief of Wijblijvenhier.nl (We're staying here.nl) and host of the tv programme Mijn moskee is de beste, (My Mosque is just it) in three programmes takes the audience on a journey. In part 1 we hear new migrants' stories. The barren cold, the great getting-used-to, we know about those aspects of migration by now. But what goes on beneath the surface? Reggie Baay, Nadia Bouras and Fidan Ekiz dig up intimate, hilarious anecdotes, offering a rare view of the inside of uprooted lives. With music by the Iranian master percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazawi. In Dutch.
-
The Other Colonial History
Belgium had Belgian-Congo; the Netherlands had the Dutch East Indies. Both countries look back at this with shame and nostalgia. David van Reybrouck and Reggie Baay try to set themselves free from the creation of an image by looking for the perspective of the people in the countries who were witnesses of history. Historian Tjitske Lingsma, author of the Sorrow of Ambon, talks with them about their quest for the Other History of the colonies. In Dutch.
-
Tori fu dya nanga abrawatra - Stories from here and overseas
With: Alida Neslo, Annemarie Sanches, Bas Heijne, Bernice Chauly, Iman Humaydan, John Wladimir Elskamp, Paremeru, Reggie Baay, Tessa Leuwsha, Yasmine Allas
For the fourth time Winternachten collaborates with a literary organisation in Suriname for the festival. This year Surinamese and foreign writers perform in On Stage, the drama school of actress Helen Kamperveen. The programme offers music, readings by writers from Suriname and by authors Bas Heijne, Iman Humaydan, Yasmine Allas en Bernice Chauly, representing Winternachten from Lebanon, Malaysia and The Netherlands. An evening full of prose, poetry, talks and music, around the theme 'A Sense of Belonging'.
Except for this evening for a general audience, the writers will also visit schools, like the schools in the remote village of Brownsweg (Brokopondo). They will there perform together with the popular Surinamese poet and singer Dorus Vrede.
A closed writer's conference brings the foreign writers together with Surinamese authors together to talk on writers' issues, like 'Writing local - writing global'.
Performance in On Stage, Wednesday 21 April, 8 p.m., admission is free. Mgr. Wulfinghstraat #5, Paramaribo
-
The world goose board
In a well or in jail? Miss one turn or tell your travel story. Adriaan van Dis, Cynthia McLeod, Reggie Baay and Thomas Rosenboom played the World Goose Board, a risky journey through the world, in search of the ideal destination. Dutch spoken.
De earlier announced participation of Marjon van Royen had to be cancelled. As a correspondent for the Dutch media in Brazil, she must stay in this country to report on the landslide. Her place was taken by the Surinamese writer Cynthia McLeod.
