Radical Space: Salon Verité, Onder de Drakenbloedboom
For centuries, the salon has been the place where writers, artists, activists, thinkers and doers come together to discuss worldly matters. No one knows exactly where it began, but we know of examples such as the literary Chambre Blue of the French Madame de Rambouillet or the Harlem Renaissance in A'Lelia Walker's Dark Tower Townhouse, where black intellectuals, queers and the wretched of the earth united. These were often experimental spaces set up by those pushed to the margins of society. Spaces where time stands still for a moment and the rules subversively bend to the occupants. Spaces to share, reflect, heal and give new impetus to culture and the outside world.
Locatie The Bookshop
Duur 60 minuten
Genre Perspectief
Taal Engels
Inspired by this phenomenon, Clarice Gargard presents the work in progress Salon Verité - Under the Dragon's Blood Tree. A space where truth and art meet. We live in a time of fake news, gaslighting and deception by government leaders and popular media, but we also wear masks in our daily lives. Why are we so afraid of the truth? And what happens when we create the conditions for honesty and openness? What if the responsibility for the space is shared with everyone who is part of it? What if we dare to speak from who we really are and not how we think we should present ourselves? Is sharing the truth an equaliser or a maker of who is right?
On this evening, traditional African storytelling mixes with modern forms of storytelling, art and ritual to discover the truths hidden within us. The focus is on the music of kora musician and griot Lamin Kuyateh. In the West African tradition of storytellers, the keepers of history and the link between worlds, he will guide us through the evening. Truth tellers Zinzi de Brouwer, Mark Mills and Sunni Lamin Barrow will share their truths through performance and ritual.
This programme was inspired by the book After Resistance Comes (R)evolution and made possible in part by the Dutch Foundation for Literature.
Clarice Gargard
Clarice Gargard is an award-winning journalist, writer, documentary filmmaker and organiser who combines journalism, art, social justice, philosophy and mysticism. In 2025, her acclaimed book ‘From Resistance to (R)evolution’ was published, in which she explores what we as individuals can do to initiate a personal and social (r)evolution.
Jalli Lamin Kuyateh
Lamin Kuyateh is a griot and belongs to a family of kora players and storytellers from Gambia. The kora is an ancient and familiar African musical instrument, a harp with 25 to 27 strings. Lamin grew up with kora music. He regularly performs both within and outside the Netherlands.
Sunni Lamin Barrow
Sunni Lamin Barrow (born 1998) is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Gambia, living in the Netherlands. His multi-award-winning practice explores identity, connectedness and the resilience of the human spirit, particularly through the lens of the experiences of African queer refugees.
Combining poetry, performance and curation, Sunni explores themes such as love, loneliness, queerness, blackness, global citizenship and the reinterpretation of kinship. His work continues to bridge personal narratives and collective resonance, creating a bold and lasting artistic legacy.
Zinzi de Brouwer en Mark Mills
Zinzi is a guardian of ancestral wisdom with knowledge of nature and plant medicine. With her shamanic artistry, she inspires sovereignty and radical love. Her work is rooted in the legacy of her ancestors; one of healing, connection and freedom. She is accompanied by Mark Mills (Kaya Namase), an artist and shaman who uses music, voice and instruments such as the chapaka and indigenous flutes for transformation. With the power of sound, he inspires shadow work, ancestral connection and inner freedom.
