Experience with Stroomversneller: Anneke Ingwersen - Songs of Colonial Labour

In het kader van het publieke programma van Sonsbeek 20<24 ontwikkelde kunstenaar Anneke Ingwersen een project rond de relatie tussen arbeid, volksliederen en koloniale geschiedenis. Het project Songs of Colonial Labour bestond uit artistiek onderzoek, workshops en meerdere korte animatiefilms.

With support from Stroomversneller , the project Stroomversneller be further developed and presented. Thanks to this contribution, a collaboration was established with musician and producer Kate Donkor and sound engineer Petra Randewijk of Herrieproduktie. The support also made it possible to commission a professional documentary film of the presentation.

Folk Songs as a Cultural Archive

On August 27, 2021, *Songs of Colonial Labor* was presented at the Eusebius Church in Arnhem. During the evening, the audience was taken on an audiovisual journey centered on the Old Dutch folk song *Daar was eens een meisje loos*. Visitors were invited to watch, listen, and reflect on what the collective reinterpretation of older folk songs might mean and what memories and associations songs about labor evoke.

De aanleiding voor het project lag in een tekst van Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, een van de curatoren van Sonsbeek 20<24, die schreef over “arbeid en haar sonische ecologie”. Dit bracht een reeks kinder- en volksliederen naar voren waarin arbeid en productiviteit centraal staan. Liederen waarin waarden als vlijt, discipline en een sterke arbeidsmoraal doorklinken.

These songs can be viewed as a form of intangible cultural archive: echoes from the past that convey stories about work, social relationships, and societal values. At the same time, their melodies and rhythms can obscure painful history, making difficult stories sound seemingly innocent.

Traces of the Colonial Era in Songs

During the presentation, a theoretical framework was first presented regarding unequal power dynamics found in folk and children’s songs. Various songs that reflect social discrimination and hierarchies were discussed as part of a broader Dutch and European cultural archive. Kate Donkor performed several of these songs.

The project builds on previous research into the impact of colonial history on the present. It draws, among other things, on sociologist Aníbal Quijano’s concept of the “coloniality of power,” which describes how colonial power structures continue to influence contemporary forms of social discrimination, such as racism and sexism.

New Perspectives Through Workshops

In addition to the research and the presentation, workshops were an important part of the project. The participants created visual collages and new poems based on existing lyrics from folk songs. By selecting or rewriting words, they developed new perspectives on the original texts.

Participants responded with a range of emotions to the values embedded in the song *Daar was eens een meisje* (*Once Upon a Time There Was a Girl* ). Some values turned out to be oppressive or discriminatory—for example, based on gender, skin color, nationality, or class. Other elements, on the other hand, offered opportunities for emancipation.

The new texts were also recited live and, together with the animated films, formed an important part of the presentation. The films incorporated audio from the workshop participants, among other things, making their voices and reactions part of the work.

Animated Films and Audiovisual Presentations

The evening at the Eusebius Church concluded with a screening of the animated films, which brought together the artistic research, the workshops, and the sound design. Kate Donkor created the audio for these films, and the participants’ reactions and contributions were incorporated into the final product.

By bringing together research, collective reflection, and artistic imagination, *Songs of Colonial Labor* explored how old songs can be reinterpreted and transformed. In doing so, the project raised questions about the role of culture, labor, and history—and about how we, as a society, engage with the stories embedded within them.

You can find more information about Anneke here.

About Stroomversneller

Stroomversneller a grant program that supports new initiatives in their artistic development by giving them room to experiment. The goal is to help these initiatives gain momentum in an accessible way, without too many restrictions or obligations.

Click here for more information about Stroomversneller.