In April 2025, it is one year since the Lectorate of the Academy of Theatre and Dance organised the Artist-in-Residence programme with the inspirational Indigenous artist, activist and scholar, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, in collaboration with many partners.
Simpson’s visit had a powerful effect on many people involved: including students, teachers, researchers, staff, local artists and guests. Since she came to Amsterdam, Indigenous knowledges and values have taken an even stronger place in the ATD.
In this item, we want to look back on Leanne’s visit through the eyes of some of those who took part - on the occasion of the publication of her new book, Theory of Water - which she gave a talk about in Amsterdam last year.
One way this happens is through the projects of Lectorate researcher Dwayne Toemere who is Indigenous-Surinamese and in our partnership with Wasjikwa: an organization for Indigenous knowledge in Amsterdam. In 2024, we collaborated on the fashion show Celebrating Indigenous Knowledge - focused on raising awareness of the Surinamese Indigenous history and culture. Now we are looking forward to a new edition in 2025 and to building a long-term, reciprocal partnership. There will be a fundraiser for Wasjikwa co-hosted by the ATD Lectorate at the Grootlab on July 5th 2025. More details to follow.
It also happens through John (Jay-j) Taukave who is a Rotuman PhD student working on the role of Indigenous knowledge and performance in oceanic climate diplomacy with the Lector and Mikki Stelder at the University of Amsterdam.
Jules Davis-Dufayard (guest artist and teacher)
One thing that really stuck with me was from the second event at Framer Framed: witnessing how clear Leanne was on her boundaries in the context of art events, and on the intention of her work: to create islands of decolonial love for her community. It's inspired me to focus more on nurturing the feelings of access intimacy I get when I'm in community with other crip trans folks, rather than trying to convince others of crip people's inherent value and right to belong in public space. I still do some of the fighting for access and safety, but would like to get more discerning of the labour around that, and only do it when I am feeling nourished enough from my islands of crip queer love.
Ayesha (guest teacher and researcher)
I led three reading groups and co-led a workshop for MA students at ATD as part of Leanne’s residency, which gave me the joyful task of doing a deep dive into Leanne’s writings and songs. It was powerful to see how Leanne’s words are embodied in her presence and interactions (being both gentle and boundaried). One of the many things that has stayed with me is thinking on refusal; a refusal to internalise coloniality and a refusal to educate in a way that avoids discomfort. I foreground this refusal in the Community Care Days I currently organise, which is a space for anti-zionist Muslims and Jews to collectively refuse the use of our identities by the state and media apparatus to serve a zionist agenda. In this space we explore the nexus of our cultural/spiritual traditions and activism- which is also influenced by reading Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back, and mino-bimaadiziwin.
Chihiro Geuzebroek (guest artist and activist)
To me the visit of Leanne Betasomasake Simpson was a personal transformative experience. I grew up in a Dutch education system where neither in primary school, highschool or university I was ever offered a single Indigenous author. It was a lonely journey through books and travel to come to connect with my Quechua roots and other Indigenous struggles and come to my senses with Indigenous academic critique and cultural reclamation and resurgence. Leanne’s work encompasses a vastness of ways of knowing and being that was enriched still by her physical presence and fierce gentleness. What lingers is the dedication of ongoing space-making for Indigenous knowledge and collaboration.
Gwenoële Trapman ( artistic director ATD/MCP) and Juha van 't Zelfde (ATD/MCP teacher)
We had the pleasure of hosting Leanne in our monthly lecture series on Sunday morning and a workshop Sunday afternoon. The gathering was a generous display of Indigenous experience and education. Our students relished the opportunity to learn from such an established and seasoned scholar, artist and activist. Their short film BIIDAABAN (2018), based on their creative writing, and showing queer normativity in a contemporary and urban Nishnaabeg context, was the icing on the cake of an unforgettable day.
