Brenda Ottjes is a member of Centre Tûmba, which is the collective name for COS Fryslân, centre for international cooperation and Tûmba, centre for prevention of discrimination. This organisation strives to encourage global citizenship and fights against discrimination, locally and globally. Tûmba is involved in many global matters like sustainable development, prevention of poverty, migration, multicultural community, the advance of women in society and more. They promote the awareness of these themes through festivals, teaching packs, courses, multicultural activities and theme days.

For her argumentation, Brenda Ottjes shows us some pictures in a slide show. The first picture represents a painting of her grandfather; it shows the landscape of East-Groningen in the North of the Netherlands. ‘The image has an universal character, it could have been everywhere,’ said Brenda Ottjes. ‘This universal style diminish the notion of the so-called cultural identity. To a certain degree your roots determine the quality of identity, the area where you originated. But to a much larger extent, someone’s identity is constructed through the choices you make in your own life and the people you meet. Currently there’s a strong debate on the idea of the Dutch identity. There’s an undeniable need to clarify this notion of identity. What is part of it and what is not.’ According to Brenda Ottjes, the discussion is too much controlled by Geert Wilders and Rita Verdonk (populists politicians). Brenda Ottjes said: ‘there are different causes that underlie this increase of the need for a Dutch identity. The disappearance of ideologies, the turning-point of individualism, fear for terrorism and the protection of our own prosperity.’

Abbas: ‘But what is the meaning of identity? How should one explain this idea? And what is the meaning of the notion of nationalism? There’s this thesis on the lost of a clear definition on the Dutch identity but what is the meaning of identity.’

Jonas Staal: ‘Recently Pechtold asked Wilders the same question within a debate in the parliament. The answer always remains a negation. He always mentioned the things that doesn’t belong to his idea of identity.’

According to Brenda Ottjes it’s important to look for similarities between the different cultures and nationalities, following the universal human rights as a reference. Ottjes continues by showing a picture of the American political scientist Robbert Putnam. ‘A lot of scientists refer to his research. Among other things he investigated treats to social cohesion. According to Putnam social cohesion is at risk due to immigration and ethnic differences, because most people are afraid of people who are different, foreigners. On the other hand a study on the Radbout university in Nijmegen, the Netherlands shows a different point of view; immigration and ethnic difference are not threatening the social cohesion, rather the economic difference and the difference in democratic rights are disturbing the social cohesion,’ said Brenda Ottjes.

Photograph of Merlin Daleman

Ottjes shows a picture of the combative measures against terror. She tells about the recent change in the law of national security. This new law makes it possible for the AIVD (the Dutch intelligence service) to arrest someone as a suspect of terrorism based only on research and assumptions. Eventually the AIVD is able to provide information for a possible lawsuit. Since one and a half year the lawyer of the suspected is no longer able to preview the information provided by the AIVD. So the defence is unfamiliar to the fundaments of the accusation. The suspects of terrorism are under a stricter regime than suspects of murder and rape. The advocate is for example restricted in the sense that he or she is not allowed to be in one space with the suspect, while other suspects kept this basic right. ‘This clearly is a violation of the human rights. These issues are hardly questioned. The fear for terrorism is thought of to be more important and people are not properly informed about these things. ‘Centrum Tûmba’ tries to raise awareness about these issues,’ Brenda Ottjes explained.

In 2004 Tûmba organised a workshop for support groups of illegal immigrants about preventing possible deportations. A small part of this exercise was a course on self-defence. This element within the training raised a lot of questions, because Tûmba is financially supported by the state. ‘For socially engaged organisations operating in a democracy, it’s important to be able to function independently from state interference. They must be able to resist,’ said Ottjes. The training got a lot of media attention.

Furthermore: Brenda Ottjes told us something about the poverty requiem, a recent project of ‘Centrum Tûmba’. On 17 October (world poverty day) a huge chorus will sing against poverty.

Jonas Staal: ‘Singing improves the situation?’

Brenda Ottjes: ‘the performance is connected to a website, the ‘Frisian world atlas’. This website provides an overview of all the different welfare projects against poverty, organised from Friesland. Visitors of this website can make an individual choice which specific project they want to support.’

Jonas Staal: ‘if they feel empathy, they must make a choice themselves. Is that an effective strategy? Probably it’s too complicated for a lot of people, it demands a lot of personal research.’

Janny: ‘But I think it’s about raising awareness’

Katinka: ‘But that won’t make people less poor’

Abbas: ‘How do you value poverty?’

Brenda Ottjes: ‘Poverty is always context related, there are different degrees.’

After the presentation of Brenda Ottjes and the reactions it got, we continued with another invited guest for the evening, Patrick Gofre. He was asked to participate in the context of this project as a guest, because we wanted to show the video document, ‘Sykje nei de Muridee Sorix’. This is a video he made in cooperation with Marten Winters.

Seven years ago, Gofre and Winters wanted to investigate the Frisian culture by making a documentary. From the start they knew they would not get an answer to their questions. Therefore they decided to make a fictitious documentary about the Frisian history with a possible connection to the origin of Mickey Mouse. A complot theory unravels through different interviews with Frisian scientists. They make you believe in the seemingly absurd connection of the Frisian heritage and the birth of Mickey Mouse.

Next to this video, there’s a special new design for the Frisian flag, in which the pompblêden are changed into the silhouette of Mickey Mouse. (Marga Houtman made this flag.)

Patrick Gofre: ‘Friesland is a province of the Netherlands and even the Netherlands has problems with its identity. It’s a small country. During world conventions the voice of the Netherlands is hardly heard.’

Julius Wijffels: ‘The Dutch identity adapts itself like a chameleon. Probably this adaptation originated from the historical trade mentality.’


As third guest of the evening, Sandra Roza told about her activities within the organisation, ‘Kleurrijk Fryslan’ (This platform tries to contribute to the multi cultural society out of the idea of a profound respect for the identity of the other and on the idea of equality.) The people who work within ‘Kleurrijk Fryslan’ try to focus on the positive. According to Sandra Roza there’s always a huge emphasis on the negative, especially in the media. Positive things that are organised from ‘Kleurrijk Fryslan’ are for example the so-called ‘interreligious celebrations’. Nowadays with the participation of the humanists, these celebrations are no longer called interreligious. Because the humanistic movement is not a religious movement they start to call the celebrations ‘Colourful’. These celebrations are a sort of prayers in which they use samples from the Koran, the Bible, etc. ‘But we explicitly don’t use the term “prayers” because this term doesn’t work for al the parties involved within our movement,’ said Sandra Roza.

Jonas Staal: ‘It sounds like a celebration without any sharp edge to it.’

Sandra Roza: ‘We try to show that different religions could join each other without fighting. We talk with each other about different subjects.’

Jonas Staal: ‘But the religions are fundamentally different from each other.’

Sandra Roza: ‘You can accept the differences from everybody.’

Abbas: ‘Why did Jesus come? Why did Mohammed come? Why did the prophets come?’

Jonas Staal: ‘Religions all strive for the best, yet religion is often the origin of conflict.’

Janny: ‘I think that the actions of ‘Colourful Fryslan’ are a step in the good direction’.

Sandra Roza: ‘It’s only a small movement. Sadly, the countermovement is much stronger but that’s no reason to stop our meetings.’

After the explanation of Sandra Roza about the intentions of her organisation, we asked Jonas Staal to present a project of Empathy. Empathy is a collective with the following members: Jonas Staal, Tinkebell en Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei. Empathy is organising projects to protest against the fact that empathy is used as a marketing product. Their first action was in The Hague. In reaction to a photo exhibition in public space of Marco Eschler, the collective placed their Empathy ‘trademark’ sticker over the existing titles. The photo exhibition existed out of well-known images, such as: a child soldier, a veiled woman, a man with leprosy, a monkey behind bars, etc. The exhibition was supposed to make people aware of international citizenship, about peace en their involvement in the world. But according to Jonas Staal the exhibition was symbolic for the way empathy is (mis)used to mobilise people to consume charity. He calls it humanistic intimidation because these images undermine individual critical reflection. The people in the pictures become hollow symbols and they create apathy and distance. The charity projects are too often a way to clean you from any guilt complexes. The charity market seems unassailable. It’s almost impossible to have critic on their position.

‘The photographer was upset because of the fact that the stickers were placed on top of the original stickers and he institute legal proceedings against our actions’,  Jonas Staal explained. ‘This reaction is not realistic. Public space is a public think sphere and therefore this space should constantly be claimed for different interests.’

Marjolein: ‘If you place the stickers of Empathy than I will walk behind you and place my stickers directly over yours, what do you think of that?’

Jonas Staal: ‘Really good’

Janny: ‘Sandra Roza addresses solidarity and the notion of profound understanding for the other. You on the other hand plead for fighting. Who can determine what is allowed in public space?’

Jonas Staal: ‘We want to change public space into a space for discussion, by claiming the right to respond to such an exhibition that takes place in public space.’