The CuCo proposes: Hendrik Willemsen

This is the fifth part of a series of proposal pieces on the members of the Culture Committee (CuCo). This time Hendrik Willemsen!

Name - City - Age - Daily activities?

Hi, my name is Hendrik. I'm studying Dutch Literature at the Vu. I currently live in Amsterdam, but I am from Leeuwarden. I work at
various places in education, I give guest poetry lessons and help people learn Dutch, for instance. Language is really my thing, so to speak. In my spare time, I am also a leader in scouting.

How and when did you join DWARS? What ideals or issues are important to you?

I joined GroenLinks through one of my best friends, Tom Molenaar, when he was an intern at GroenLinks. I was then also introduced to DWARS and got to be part of the enthusiastic team that revived the Culture Committee. From the very beginning, I found it important that we didn't just have meetings, but that we also had a good time
had with each other. This is also how the ‘dinner meeting’ came about. Having a nice meal together first and then having smooth and efficient meetings. This also ties in with my ideals. I think it is important that everyone can feel safe but also involved (inclusion). I also have a big heart for issues like equity and, of course, education. As an artist, I obviously have to mention art and culture.

What appeals to you about the Culture Commission?

I think culture is important because it is the way to connect people, develop new ideas and experiment. I hope that with the Culture Committee, we can bring culture and politics (at least within DWARS) a little closer together.

What is one culture thing you have ever done / can recommend?

That's a difficult choice. Anyway, I can recommend listening to Sef's album ‘I could die for a lot but not for a flag’. I'm currently spinning that completely grey. I also highly recommend the poetry of our upcoming Poet Laureate Babs Gons.

What are you looking forward to doing with the Culture Commission?

We have already organised many fun activities. Our plan was once to organise a spoken word workshop with Babs Gons. It almost happened, until unexpected circumstances threw a spanner in the works. Hopefully it will still happen in the future!

What else should people know? / Anything else you want to say about yourself?

I really love languages, at the moment I speak 6 of them. Not all of them fluent of course 😉

Would you also like to meet these cultural powerhouses and contribute to the DWARSe agenda? Then send an email to cultuur.amsterdam@dwars.org