Op de Koffie

“Op de Koffie” was a project initiated by the organization Storylines Maastricht.

The idea was to create a one-evening program where spirituality and rituals took center stage. I was brought onto the team to work out the concept, program the evening, pitch it to our partners and coordinate and produce the event.

Storylines were eager to work with the concepts of spirituality and rituals inspired by an article talking about spiritual poverty in the West. They referred me to the artist Saron Tesfahuney and her eriteran koffie ritual, hoping she could be part of the program. The event took place in Heerlen, in a multi-cultural neighbourhood. Storylines expressed that their hope that this event could act as a bridge for connection through it’s themes and execution.

Over the course of 6 months I went to work with Storylines wishlist and created what became “Op de Koffie”. A multi-disciplinary evening filled storytelling through the slow ritual of making coffee, poetry and music. We create a space where strangers could share their stories, memories and anecdotes with and about coffee with each other, finding connection through coffee.

During the event, I hosted and moderated the dialogue between ourselves (the artists) and the audience. Later I performed a poem inspired by the conversations that were had that evening.

Read the poem here