Sites of Memory - Changing Portraits

Sites of Memory - Changing Portraits is a site-specific, theatrical tour about 'hidden' stories on slavery – a colonial history of Amsterdam. This is a collaboration of Black Heritage Tours, Poetry Circle Nowhere, Amsterdam Roots and Afrovibes Festival. 

Professional playwrights and amateur actors collaborate to bring you a fresh view on Dutch history around the theme 'Changing Portraits'. With this, they highlight a few portraits from people from the 17th century, prominent figures but also people that remained invisible. For example the renown Anton de Kom and Peter Stuyvesant, but also less known names like the multi-cultural Surinam family De Harts-Ellis, that used to live in 1860 on Herengracht.

Portraits can change through the centuries, depending on the perspective of the beholder or the available information. The performance starts at the West Indisch Huis and takes the visitor to different locations in the historic city centre. De actors bring the personal stories to life through poetry, dance and music performed along the quay. The performance is a mix from the past and present, from what we know and what we would rather not know. It's a search for our recent history, a meeting through stories.

This performance will be performed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during WeMakeThe.City, as well as during Roots Festival on 3 and 4 July.

IMPORTANT: Tickets for this performance can be purchased through the website of Roots Festival.