SOME CONTEXT ABOUT OUR JOURNEY AND THE CONCEPT OF POWERTALKS

AS PART OF A PILOT PROJECT, THE PAST MONTHS HIPHOPHUIS HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER DIFFERENT COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT MOVE WITHIN THE CULTURAL SCENE IN ROTTERDAM TO DISCUSS OWNERSHIP, POWER DYNAMICS AND CLAIMING SPACE. IN THESE POWERTALKS WE FOCUSSED ON UPGRADING OUR SELFAWARENESS, STRATEGIES AND KNOWLEDGE AS BICULTURAL CREATIVES. HOW IS IT THAT WE MAKE UP MORE THAN 50% OF OUR CITY, BUT RECEIVE THE SMALLEST PIECE OF THE PIE WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDS, SPACE, PLATFORM AND VISIBILITY. THE OVERALL PURPOSE IS FOR OUR MAKERS, THINKERS AND GRASSROOTS INITIATIVES TO HAVE MORE SPACE AND POWER WITHIN THE CULTURAL FIELD OF ROTTERDAM. THIS SHOULD ULTIMATELY RESULT IN AN EQUAL LEVEL PLAYING FIELD AND GREATER APPRECIATION OF OUR VALUE, IN THE FIRST PLACE BY OURSELVES. OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS MANY INSPIRING GUEST SPEAKERS TOOK STAGE. WE WITNESSED RICH MEDINA, ASTRID ELBURG, EDSON SABAJO, AFAINA DE JONG, WAYNE MODEST, SYLVANA SIMONS, EMORY DOUGLAS AND GUILLAUME PHILIBERT SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND GIVE THEIR PERSPECTIVE BASED ON THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCE. THE RESULT WAS A TORRENT OF ASPIRATIONAL DISCUSSIONS, INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICAL HANDLES TO DEAL WITH A VARIETY SITUATIONS AND POWER DYNAMICS WITHIN THE CULTURAL SECTOR. THE IDEA BEHIND THE POWERTALKS ARE TO BRING DIFFERENT PLAYERS FROM DIFFERENT GENERATIONS TOGETHER AND HAVE HONEST HEART-TO-HEART CONVERSATIONS ABOUT US. WE AIM TO UNITE CULTURAL LEADERS AND GAME CHANGERS AND INVITE OUR COMMUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON HOW THEY TAKE OWNERSHIP IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY. WE’RE EXCITED TO SEE YOU AT THE NEXT POWERTALK!