Johan Fretz's road trip through Surinam, Onder de Paramariboom, and film
Before writer, toriman and newspaper columnist Johan Fretz went to cabaret school, he studied at the film academy - so we can trust in his love of film! Inspired by his literary work, especially his Surinam travel tale Onder de Paramariboom (Under the Paramari Tree), moderator Gerlinda Heywegen presents film clips to invite him to tell us about two countries and perhaps even the whole world.
Fretz on Surinam: "Suddenly the shutters flew open. How incredible that there seems to be a whole world there. And where they speak Dutch, more beautifully and with more love than in the land of its origin."
Fretz' novel Onder de Paramariboom was published in 2018, a hilarious and disarming road trip through Surinam. It is a search for roots and identity for someone of mixed blood, but above all about a reconciliation between a mother and a son. The book won the Bookseller's Prize in 2019. Fretz created a solo performance based on the book, which he toured through the Netherlands and which was nominated for the cabaret prize Neerlands Hoop.