De Waarheidscommissie

Action Zoo Humain

“Not a full stop, but a comma,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the government’s apology for the Netherlands’ role in the history of slavery. De Waarheidscommissie will proceed and imagine what could follow after this famous comma. Attend this unique, one-off Truth Commission at De Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam.

In De Waarheidscommissie, the audience, together with guests, speakers and performers, search for answers. What do we remember and what not? How do you deal with historical injustice? Is recovery possible and how?

Location De Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam
Run time 90 minutes
Genre theatre
Language Dutch

De Waarheidscommissie

Until deep into the 20th century, the Netherlands exhibited thousands of men, women and children in so-called ‘human zoos’. For example, in 1883 at the World Exhibition in Amsterdam, people could view a reconstructed Kampong including 'authentic' residents and marvel at the Surinamese exhibited in a circus-like tent. These kinds of exhibitions, like freak shows at fairgrounds, were founded upon the fears and desires of the Dutch themselves. Their problematic curiosity towards the ‘exotic’ and the ‘unknown’ determined the way in which the people were presented as ‘primitive’ and ‘backward’.

In De Waarheidscommissie, the effects of these human zoos on today's society are explored in word, music and movement. Can you say that the history of ‘human zoos’ still has an effect today?

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Consider, for example, ethnic profiling by the police, the surcharge scandal at the tax authorities, but also the 'innocent' sharing of images on social media of that 'exotic' trip. Aren't these examples simply an extension of the thinking patterns behind the human zoos? Following the example of the 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission' from South Africa, this Waarheidscommissie offers a stage to different voices and perspectives from the left and right wing. They examine the (colonial) legacy of the human zoo in the Netherlands.

In the preparations for De Waarheidscommissie, an artistic and scientific research team delved deeper into the human zoo in order to grasp the subject from all possible angles. For more background information and the research on the human zoos in the Netherlands, visit: www.dewaarheidscommissie.nl

CREDITS

concept and direction Chokri Ben Chikha 
production and dramaturgy Sietske de Vries 
production Lique van Gerven 
text Erik-Ward Geerlings, Sharona Maguette Diop
music Seppe Salomé
photography Kurt Van Der Elst
video Sven Peetoom, Korrel
website/socials Robin Laurens, Kirsten Lipman, Oya Ben Chikha
press Ronald de Groot-|-
producer Action Zoo Humain

co producers Perpodium, DEGASTEN, Theater Rotterdam, deBuren, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Musis & Stadstheater Arnhem, de Brakke Grond

with the support of Bijlmer Parktheater, IMPACT, Theater Zuidplein, NTGent, Provinciehuis Arnhem, Waalse Kerk, Debatcentrum Arminius, de Vlaamse Overheid, Fonds 21, Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie, Fonds Podiumkunsten, Vriendenloterijfonds, Fonds ZOZ

This performance is made possible with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government via uFund.

by and with Kathleen Ferrier, Mpho Tutu van Furth, Bert Sliggers, Chantal Loïal, Iris Tjoa, Mareille Labohm, Anis de Jong, Fouad Mourigh, Moussa Ndiaye, Izah Hankammer, Tamar Niamut, Nienke Nasserian, Wensley Piqué, Mavis Carrilho, Zouzou Ben Chikha