Former Mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb looks back and looks ahead.
Drawing on his memoir *Thuis*, he takes you on a journey through fifty years in the Netherlands and asks what it means today to live here, to live together, and to take on responsibility.
In this personal and passionate lecture, Ahmed Aboutaleb weaves his own life story together with broader social questions about migration, citizenship, and solidarity. From his childhood in the Moroccan Rif Mountains to his years as mayor of Rotterdam, he shows how personal choices and social developments constantly influence one another.
Drawing on themes such as identity, tolerance, and aspirations, he explores how one can feel at home in a rapidly changing world. What does that require of individuals, and what of society?
The lecture will be accompanied by music and poetry, including a performance by Kamal Hors, a singer, composer and oud player (Arabic lute). Over the years, he has performed in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and has composed music for ensembles including Ensemble Windstreken (the Netherlands), Nafas Quartet (Switzerland) and the Ricciotti Ensemble.
Kamal has worked on a wide range of theatre and dance projects, including with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, as well as on films and documentaries. He is currently the artistic director of the Dancing Strings Festival in Utrecht. Kamal is a member of the Marmoucha Orchestra and plays the oud in the production WAT VREET ER AAN DONNIE DRUIF?.
