I also want to show that it is normal to feel like you don’t belong anywhere sometimes, but that there is always hope.
What inspires you as an artist?
Stories, my own or others’. The beauty and strength of human beings in general intrigues me and makes me write. I also enjoy writing about our society with a critical pen in the hope that my stories will open eyes.
How did your artistic journey go so far?
Unpredictable, sometimes hard to combine with work and study, confusing and lonely. My course was bumpy with peaks and valleys but that also makes it fun, surprising and worth it all so hard. Through writing, I moved into stage poetry and rolled into making music, singing and rapping, making live stage beats with a loop station, and ended up in theater. I think as an artist you always have to be your biggest fan and keep believing in succeeding, otherwise no one will believe in it.
What drove you to create NIEMANDSLAND?
I wanted to make this performance both for myself and for others. For myself because it is a kind of farewell to my grandfather, a search for who I really am and my identity as an immigrant in Belgium. And the challenge of mixing different art disciplines in a play. For others, because I want to show people that these stories are out there too, that many people are going through that same story, and because such stories don’t always get attention. I want to give heart to people in similar situations, show them that they are not alone, that it will be okay. I also want to show that it is normal to feel like you don’t belong anywhere sometimes, but that there is always hope.
What is your favorite piece from the performance?
At first, I talk to my recently deceased grandfather about what it’s like here in Belgium. I tell things I would have liked to tell him. It’s a vulnerable moment for me because I’m not just standing there as an artist. And I really like the song I bring at the end. It has a positive hopeful message and reminds you to never give up.
