Is there a we?

What to think of Martin Luther King’s ‘We shall overcome’ in times when the divisions between groups in the United States – and around the world – only seem to be growing? As Holland Festival associate artist, Bill T. Jones came up with the unifying theme In pursuit of the we. He asked himself: how do we create a community? What is it that connects people and makes one say to another: I wish to be a part of your world? He based this theme, among other things, on ‘We the people’ from the American constitution and on Martin Luther King’s ‘We shall overcome’. However, in light of the corona epidemic, which hits vulnerable groups especially hard, and the ongoing police violence against the black community, Jones wonders how realistic this ‘we’ just is. He feels betrayed by King’s promise because: ‘We did not overcome’. Led by moderator Ikenna Azuike, Jones talks with writer Ellen Ombre, visual artist Melanie Bonajo and activist/choreographer Naomie Pieter, about communities, ecology, vulnerability and inequality in times of social distancing. There will be a music intermezzo by violinist Yannick Hiwat.