Network, brainstorming and inspirational meeting for everyone who is already active or wants to take action for a ceasefire and justice in Palestine.

Due to the one-sided political and military support from the Netherlands to Israel, with the ongoing bombardments in Gaza and persistent violations of human rights, there are nation wide demonstrations, actions, petitions, letters, articles and events being organised for a ceasefire to demand a stop of the genocide and ethnic cleansing. This event is designed for anyone who wants to make a difference for justice in Palestine or contribute to a ceasefire. During this gathering, you can meet others who are already active and/or want to become involved. We will kick off the programme with a marketplace featuring solidarity organisations and initiatives to get acquainted with. The evening will commence with an overview of the types of actions that have already taken place in the Netherlands. Throughout the evening, there will be two rounds of themed roundtable discussions, providing opportunities to meet and engage in conversations with others who are already or would like to be get involved in solidarity actions and campaigns.

Breaking the institutional Silence: let’s speak out! 

We have seen letters being written in Dutch municipalities and ministries because of the one-sided support and even people resigning there office from the UN to Dutch embassies due to the current position of Dutch and western governments that are enabling the ongoing agression against Palestinians in Gaza. Also we have seen letters being written from al sectors in civil society from the cultural sector, to universities, to health workers, to human rights organisations. Next to this, a court case against the Dutch government is being held. We hope to inspire and help people get organized and enable everyone to speak up against apartheid, genocide, military occupation and ethnic cleansing and to upheld the right for return. A positive example is that the Amsterdam’s municipality has now agreed to also call for a ceasefire. More institutions and sectors of society need to start taking a stance.

Partner: Pakhuis de Zwijger
Address: Grote zaal, Pakhuis de Zwijger
Time: 19:30-22:00
Admission: Free by reservation, RSVP here

If you would like to have a market stand, please mail: Max@dezwijger.nl and Kamily@dezwijger.nl

For more information, visit the Pakhuis de Zwijger website.

Join us for When Clouds Are Moving, the first of a series of memorials organised by art collective We Sell Reality. This programme is within the framework of Refresh #2: War & Conflict by Amsterdam Museum, and in collaboration with Framer Framed and many different partners in the city. Through this series of memorials, We Sell Reality aim to bring people together in order to process and grieve the impact of war, conflict and violence.

The first memorial of the series by We Sell Reality is dedicated to the current war in Sudan. Since the war started on 15 April 2023, this war has taken a grip on the collective. In their own words, We Sell Reality writes:

“Some of our team members are from Sudan and their family members were forced to flee their houses and some of their friends have been killed. The whole infrastructure in Sudan collapsed, there is no work, no money, no safety, no future prospects. The media stopped reporting about this war, but for our members it is still a daily reality. They are worried about their friends and families; they are sending them money to keep them alive, and they deal with the feeling of guilt, because they are safe, but their loved ones are not. This feels lonely.

They walk around with the war in their minds and in their bodies, but around them everyone just continues their lives as if nothing is going on. There are many more people feeling the exact same way. Therefore, We Sell Reality would like to organise the memorial. To come together, to share these feelings, to think collectively about what we can do from here, to hold each other. The memorial also wishes to make people aware that we are here and therefore the war in Sudan is here as well. We want to inform people and get them engaged, as this is the world we share.

We invite all the Sudanese diaspora and everyone else who wants to know and understand more to join us. Don’t feel shy if you are not familiar with the rituals. We will welcome you, guide you and appreciate your presence very much.”

Memorial #1: Sudan – When Clouds Are Moving

Partner: Framer Framed
Adress: Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71
Time: 17.00 - 21.00 (Walk in from 16:30)
Art collective: We Sell Reality

The memorial will start with collective praying, followed by a Koran reading and a collective discussion about what we can do from here. After that we will have dinner at the same time as a dinner will be distributed among a group of refugees in Sudan.

For more information, visit the FramerFramed website.

Please join us at the other memorials around the city:

Memorial #2: Ethiopia – And The Air Is Burning

Date: 3 december
Partner: Sexy Land World
Address: Noordwal 1, Amsterdam
Time: 17:00-21:00 (walk in from 16:30)

Memorial #3: Time, Space & Death – In The Silence Of Cosmic Winds

Date: 9 December
Address: Amsterdam Museum, Amstel 51, Amsterdam
Time: 20:00 – 22:00 (Walk in from 19:30)

In this three-part Designing Cities for All: RE-generation series RE-imagining Borders, DCFA Fellows Joris Lechêne and Lucia Kula delve into the concept of made-up boundaries, borders and binaries, and their implications in the world. How does thinking in dualisms influence our public spaces, systems and (hi)stories? Where does the concept of the (literal or metaphorical) border originate from, and who has the power to install and enforce them? And why is it so important to break away from this simplistic worldview?

The third and last episode of this series looks into the Borders vs. Bodies dichotomy. The borders that we are born within or outside of, follow us around for the rest of our lives, be it through for instance dehumanisation of refugees, apartheid or fortress conservation. We string along our nationalities and other parts of our identities – and they result in either privilege or persecution.

Partner: Pakhuis de Zwijger
Address: Piet Heinkade 179, 1019 HC Amsterdam
Time: 20:00
Admission: Free by reservation

For more information, visit the Pakhuis de Zwijger website.

Refresh Amsterdam is inviting you to the opening of the solo exhibition ‘Residue’ by Elena Khurtova and Anika Schwarzlose at P////AKT, Zeeburgerpad on 18 November. The artists will present the second part of their new collaborative project ‘Residue', of which the first part was premiered at the Amsterdam Museum for Refresh Amsterdam #2, ‘War & Conflict’. For this exhibition, the artist gave a central role to the former weapon factory on the Hembrug site. Elena Khurtova and Anika Schwarzlose see the soil of the Hembrug site as a physical archive that tells its own story. Between 1904 and 2003, the site played a major role in several international conflicts, including the suppression of the independence struggle in Indonesia. The exhibition will be activated by performances bringing focus to revealing the hidden history of the Hembrug terrain.

Date: 18 november
Time: 17.00 - 21.00
Time: performance: 17.30
Location: P////AKT, Zeeburgerpad 53
Exhibition: 19 November - 16 December
Artists: Anika Schwarzlose and Elena Khurtova, curator Masha Domracheva

 For more information, visit the P////AKT website.

SEXYLAND WORLD AND BURO STEDELIJK WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO AN EVENING CONCERNING THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN GAZA AND BEYOND.

This evening is organized from our need to find the right words for the internal feelings of so many people around us. Powerlessness. Mourning. Sadness. Fury. A looming fear for further polarization. We want to search for words, for actions, for speaking out without objection. Confusion is allowed, reflections can be shared and listening is just as valuable as speaking. Our space will be safe and informal, with contributions from city poet @marjolijnvanheemstra, performer @simomo_bouj, rapper @qaq._._, artist @s.t.a.t.e.l.e.s.s, Jewish Moroccan ambassador Sami Kaspi and others.

The evening is free. You can register by sending an email to programma@sexyland.world.
A donation can be made upon arrival for medical aid to Palestinians.

Partner: Sexyland World in collaboration with Buro Stedelijk
Address: Noordwal 1, Amsterdam
Time: Doors open 6:00 PM, program start 7:30 PM, end program 11:00 PM
Admission: Free upon reservation

For more information, visit the Sexyland website.

Het Warming Up Festival 2023 richt zich op de impact van Shell in verschillende landen, met een specifieke focus op Brazilië. Terwijl Shell wereldwijd bekend staat om olie, beweert het in Brazilië een grote rol te spelen in 'groene' energie. Maar wat betekent dit voor het milieu en inheemse gemeenschappen? Tijdens deze avond duiken we in de koloniale geschiedenis en huidige praktijken van Shell in Brazilië. Verwacht diepgaande gesprekken met onderzoekers, activisten en artiesten die direct betrokken zijn bij de klimaat- en milieu-uitdagingen in Brazilië.

Speciale gasten zijn onder andere Marcela Elena Varconte, Thais Di Marco, Tarim Nduma Flach, Vandria Borari en Diana Quiroz. Samen zullen ze inzichten delen en deelnemers meenemen in de complexe realiteit van milieuproblemen en inheemse rechten in Brazilië.

Partner: Tolhuistuin
Adres: IJpromenade 2, 1031 KT Amsterdam
Time: 20:00 - 21:30
Toegang: €10

Voor meer info, bezoek de website van We Are Warming Up.

Tijdens Warming Up Festival 2023 verkennen we Shell's impact in verschillende landen, en deze keer staan de Verenigde Staten centraal. Onze speciale gasten zijn Sandra Ball, Salomé Attias en Chihiro Geuzebroek. We nodigen je uit om deel te nemen aan een interactieve theaterervaring, waarin we de reis van klimaatrechtvaardigheid onderzoeken. Met als inspiratie het nieuws dat Shell een boete van 10 miljoen moet betalen voor het overschrijden van vervuilingslimieten in de Beaver County. Het lijkt erop dat gerechtigheid de gemeenschap vaak vergeet. Tijd voor creatieve en herstellende gerechtigheid door middel van rolspel en modellering. Gasten zijn Sandra Ball, Salomé Attias en Chihiro Geuzebroek.

Partner: Tolhuistuin
Adres: IJpromenade 2, 1031 KT Amsterdam
Time: 20:00 - 21:30
Toegang: €10
Na de talk 'Shell en de Kunst van Protest: USA' zal de performance 'Activist Songversation' plaatsvinden. Wil je beide evenementen bijwonen? Scoor je combiticket voor slechts €15!

Voor meer info, bezoek de website van We Are Warming Up.

Duik in de impact van Shell in Zuid-Afrika tijdens "Shell & the Art of Protest" op Warming Up Festival 2023! Dit interactieve programma verkent recente gebeurtenissen met Shell en historische protesten uit de apartheidstijd, met live verbindingen naar Zuid-Afrika voor inzichten en gesprekken met milieubeschermers. Ontmoet onze gasten, waaronder schrijver en dichter Julia-Beth Harris, AfroSoul-zanger Max-Hoba, en meer! Historici en activisten belichten de rol van Shell tijdens de apartheid in een panelgesprek. Ontdek parallellen tussen verleden en heden, en bespreek strategieën voor internationale solidariteit binnen de klimaatbeweging.

Partner: Tolhuistuin
Adres: IJpromenade 2, 1031 KT Amsterdam
Time: 20:00 - 21:30
Toegang: €10

Voor meer info, bezoek de website van het Tolhuistuin.

Binnen dit project van een doorlopende serie documentaire kunstwerken, wordt de structuur van een rechtszaak gebruikt om te bepalen of we nog steeds mensenrechten waarborgen. Voor zijn eerdere interactieve performance ‘Refugee on Trial’ (2019) baseerde Ehsan Fardjadniya zich op een daadwerkelijke asielzaak. Tijdens deze performance waren advocaten en een rechter de uitvoerende artiesten, en werden de toeschouwers uitgenodigd om kritisch na te denken over het label ‘vluchteling’. Gebaseerd op het waargebeurde verhaal van een Afghaanse asielzoeker, toonden de performers wat er nodig is om erkend te worden als vluchteling en wie daarover beslist. In het geval van deze performance werd de uiteindelijke beslissing overgelaten aan het publiek.

Op basis van 'Refugee on Trial' creëerde Ehsan Fardjadniya zijn nieuwe performance 'Edgelanders - Amsterdam on trial' samen met beeldend kunstenaar Raul Balai a.k.a el bastardo. In dit tweede deel gaan Ehsan en Raul i.s.m. Pim Fischer, Souleyman en andere betrokkenen bewijslast verzamelen om te bepalen wat er is gebeurd met de belofte van menswaardige opvang van vluchtelingen. Door middel van verschillende presentatievormen zoals performance, installaties en film vindt er uitwisseling plaats met diverse stakeholders en inwoners van de stad, waaronder jongeren, ongedocumenteerden, politici en organisaties die betrokken zijn bij deze problematiek. Het betreft een langer lopend project met een expositie, performance en publieksprogramma.

Partner: Podium Mozaïk
Address: Bos en Lommerweg 191, Amsterdam
Time: 20:30

Voor meer info, bezoek de website van Podium Mozaïk.

RARA (Revolutionary Anti-Racist Action) fought against racism, oppression, and exploitation in the 1980s and 1990s, including carrying out attacks on companies like Shell and Makro that profited from the apartheid regime in South Africa. In collaboration with the involved activists, artist Pieter Paul Pothoven has documented their history over the past years and represented it in various ways. All audio recordings, documents, and photos he collected will be housed at the IISG.

To accompany the transfer of this archive, Pothoven is creating an installation about a squatted building at Overtoom 274 in Amsterdam. RARA prepared multiple actions here, and in 1988, a search took place that played a key role in the case against René Roemersma, the only RARA suspect who stood trial.

On October 19th, in addition to the unveiling of the work "Overtoom 274," a discussion will be organized around art, activism, and archives. Katía Truijen will speak with Pieter Paul Pothoven and researcher Sophie van den Elzen. The specific history of RARA and the search of the Amsterdam squatted building will be placed in a broader context of remembering and preserving activist histories and the role that art plays in that.

Partner: International Institute of Social History
Address: Overtoom 274, Amsterdam
Time: 16:00 - 18:00
Admission: Free, please register via secretar@iisg.nl

For more information, visit the IISG website.

Raves became so crucial that in 2021 many local protests in Kyiv were held in the format of raves. On top of that, the Pride in 2021 was held in Kyiv as a rave in front of the President’s Office. At the moment, Ukrainian queers are fighting not only against Russian invaders but also for their rights. In Recharge and Revolt, we focus on queer identities, queer visibility, utopia, queer time, and — most importantly — togetherness established through raves. Our starting point is the year 2014. This is the year of the Revolution of Dignity, the Russian occupation of Ukrainian Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, and the outbreak of war. It is also the year when Ukrainian society irrevocably chose the democratic development path.

Curated by Ukrainian guest curators Anton Shebetko (queer artist, curator and writer, based in Amsterdam) and Maria Vtorushina (queer curator, based in Kyiv), this exhibition showcases work by artists who depict this history, centering on rave culture as a powerful political tool.

During the opening evening of ‘Recharge & Revolt’, a Q&A with both guest curators Anton Shebetko and Maria Vtorushina, about the queer and rave culture in Ukraine, will be hosted by moderator Bogomir Doringer. This evening, we will take a short dive into a more historical perspective, to provide more context to the works which are shown. Questions will be raised and food for thought and discussion will be offered, such as: what happens to a queer body in times of war and conflict? And: how can raves become a protest practice?

Partner: Melkweg
Address: Marnixstraat 409, Amsterdam
Time: 19:00 - 22:00
Admission: Free

For more information, visit the Melkweg website.

Tina Farifteh, an Iranian-Dutch photographer and filmmaker based in the Netherlands. She has an interest in how we organise the world, and how we perceive the world—within man-made power structures, such as companies, governments and nation states, and through the production and consumption of images. Her work explores how these structures and images influence our thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

Partner: Filmtheater Kriterion
Address: Roetersstraat 170, 1018 WE Amsterdam
Time: 19:00
Access: €8,50 (normal tickets)

For more information, visit the website of Kriterion.

Join us on 7 October for the opening of the exhibition Performing Colonial Toxicity by researcher and architectural historian Samia Henni. The exhibition, presented by Framer Framed in collaboration with If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, explores the redacted history of French nuclear colonialism in the Algerian Sahara and draws attention to the urgency of reckoning with this history and its lived environmental and sociopolitical impacts.

Partner: Framer Framed
Address: Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71, 1093 KS Amsterdam
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Access: Free upon registration.

For more information, visit the website of Framer Framed.