Breaking the Silence, Breaking the Cycle – CTRL+ALT+IDENTITY

You will be guided in telling your story through henna-art, movement, and conversations in which we listen and reflect in togetherness. The lecture performance aims to explore and tell stories through other ways of knowing. This way, we try to create a space for multiple forms of knowledge and how to understand our experiences on earth differently.

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

Shila Khuki de Vries

With a Bengali and Dutch background, I live as a wife, mother, employee and researcher, with a dark skin coloUr in a predominantly white world. Decolonial thought has become an essential means of interpreting myself and my place in society. International adoptees grow up in a world full of contradictions – who am I and where do I belong? I immerse myself with passion in the subject of international adoptions from a feminist and decolonial perspective. Within CTRL+ALT+IDENTITY, I shared my story during a henna workshop and found connection with other women of colour. We are all different, but there is so much that connects us. As a dancer, I participate in the project with the same intention.

Shawita Parag

I am a graphic designer and immerse myself in social issues concerning equal opportunities and redefining our relationship with nature. I translate these issues into illustrations with which I try to create awareness and make people think. The question 'where are you really from?', has often been asked to me. It makes me feel different. I am human, but I feel that the labels given to me limit my humanity. Despite all the dominant views and opinions that exist about what it means to be Dutch and/or Hindustani, I try to give my own interpretation to my life with my feelings and intuition. In the performance CTRL+ALT+IDENTITY, I dance my story in relation to our Surinamese-Hindustani history and other stories of women of colour. My dance is emotion and it heals me in my struggle and long life process of finding myself and my place on this beautiful globe.

Ruby Joemai

I am a fashion designer for my brand Kaam Kari La, a label especially for activists and artists with a focus on the Hindustani community. The term 'women of colour' means awareness for me. I used to feel different. Being different had a negative connotation to me. But now I'm aware of who I am. I feel proud, powerful and unique and I use this energy in my art. I am also a filmmaker and concept developer, I create mood films and documentaries about social problems, such as burnouts and our relationship with work. For the dance theatre performance of CTRL+ALT+IDENTITY, I fulfill the role of costume designer, I have worked on the concept of the campaign image and I am one of the dancers. Also check @kaamkarila on instragram.

Anima Jhagroe-Ruissen

I am a social artivist and hybrid. Artivist stands for the combination of art and activism. I use the word Social because the focus of my activism is on social change for Women of Colour. Furthermore, my art is largely inspired by my experiences as a hybrid; a mix between a Surinamese-Hindustani mother from Paramaribo and a Zeeuwse father from Wemeldinge. I swim between imposed identities and what I choose to identify with. That's why the idea of "Women of Colour" is always political to me and a focal point in the fight for social justice. My roles in this project are multiple. I am the initiator, dancer and henna artist.

Also take a look at www.animaruissen.com.

Find out more

• CTRL+ALT+IDENTITY
• Instagram
• Facebook