Peace in a Cruel World

• Date: 21 September
• Time: 15:00 - 17:00
• Location: Amare, Spinozafoyer

On September 21, the International Day of Peace, we reflect on the question: what does peace mean in a cruel world? The United Nations established this day in 1981, but how powerful is such a symbol when war, inequality, and colonial legacies continue to persist?

Program

Opening with Spoken Word by Demi Vreden
Conversation with panelists Naomi van Stapele and Chihiro Geuzenbroek on the meaning of peace in our time
Musical Performance by Diedingen
Conversation with panelists on how we can think differently about peace
Joint exploration, with the audience, of what peace looks like or could look like for us
Artistic talk by Ruby Joemai on Keffiyeh Saree
Closing words and reflections on the afternoon
Final musical performance by Chihiro Geuzenbroek

Together we explore alternative visions of peace: not only as the absence of war, but also as justice, recognition, and community. During this gathering, we will ask speakers and artists: how can we create space for connection, recognition, and peace — in a cruel world? Join the conversation and help rethink how we can redefine peace today.

Credits

Speakers and artists contributing to this conversation include:

· Naomi van Stapele is Professor of Inclusive Education at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and senior researcher at Movisie, working on issues of livability and social justice. Through community-led research in the Netherlands and East Africa, Naomi amplifies voices that are often marginalized, such as those of young people in contexts of violence and exclusion.

· Chihiro Geuzebroek is a decolonial climate activist and artist with roots in Bolivia and the Netherlands. With her music, she creates space to share grief, find collective strength, and use sound as a tool for resistance and peacebuilding. Chihiro’s work shows how art and activism reinforce each other, and how, even in a cruel world, new forms of peace and community can emerge.

· Demi Vreden is the founder of Faluma, a platform that connects the Afro-diaspora in the Netherlands. In addition to her activism, she gives creative expression to her experiences as a poet and spoken word artist, focusing on themes such as the legacy of slavery, women’s rights, and queer inclusivity.

· Ruby Joemai is an interdisciplinary artist based in Rotterdam and The Hague, and a member of the decolonial artistic collective CTRL+ALT+COLLECTIVE. Under the name Kaam Kari La, she explores her diaspora as a Surinamese-Hindustani and Indo-Caribbean woman in the Netherlands through film, fashion, theater, dance, and graphic design. Her work centers on decolonization, self-discovery, and community. She designs clothing for artists and activists to amplify their message and creates portraits to make their stories visible. With Kaam Kari La Draping Sessions, she creates spaces for cultural exchange where participants learn about traditions, identity, and community-building, in events where creativity and activism come together. Together, we build toward a future where everyone feels at home.

· DieDingen (spoken music in Dutch):
Composer, music producer and performer, now absorbed in Dutch-language Spoken Word
Queer
Always AuDhd
Always wrote in English
Until Covid confined him
Now
Catchy Introspection in Dutch
Musical

you could say
Somewhere between atmospheric and explosive
Somewhere between speaking and singing
Somewhere between poetry and songs
Somewhere between male and female

The event will be moderated by:

· Josefien van Marlen is an advisor, trainer, moderator, and program maker at the intersection of social justice and climate justice. Through her company Just Differently, she connects politics and society, policy and practice — from intersectional policy at the Dutch central government to renewal and solidarity in the organic sector. Central to her work is always the question of how we can build a just world based on care, equality, and connection.

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