This event is in Dutch.
Normally, the Abraham Kuyper Lecture is the closing event of the appointment of the Writer in Residence, Nina Polak. This year, however, she is unable to attend because of personal circumstances.
We are pleased to have found a worthy replacement for her. Writer and philosopher Désanne van Brederode will deliver this year's lecture. We are very grateful to her for that, not only because she is a writer of note, but also because she wants to stick to the theme Nina brought in, namely spiritual well-being.
Désanne writes:
'Imagine!
'Who really understands me?' Especially in times of lonely, mental distress, this is a legitimate question. But what do we know about others? Can we even imagine that which we ourselves do not see, do not hear, do not even suspect? Perhaps your own imagination offers a way out of the impasse. You are not who you appear to be - neither is the other.
After the lecture, Christiaan Vinkers, psychiatrist and professor of stress and resilience at Amsterdam UMC, will reflect on Van Brederode's lecture.
Furthermore, Roos van Rijswijk, the evening's moderator, will deepen the theme through an interview with Jeroen Geurts (Rector Magnificus VU) and a student from the VU Student Wellbeing Point. Student Lotte Bosch will read a column that perfectly aligns with the theme.
VU Kamerorkest
The second part of the evening will be enlivened by the VU Kamerorkest under the direction of Jasper de Waal. They will perform Antonín Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony from 1889. Dvořák attempted to make a difference with this work compared to his stormy and romantic previous symphony. The eighth is both subdued and compelling as well as cheerful and lyrical, drawing inspiration from the Bohemian folk music that Dvořák loved.
About the Abraham Kuyper Lecture
With the annual Abraham Kuyper Lecture, VU Amsterdam, in the spirit of its founder, aims to keep alive the societal debate that is so characteristic of the university. To this end, the Writer in Residence is invited each year to reflect in an essayistic manner on a current theme that the university, as a societal institution, is deeply involved in.
The Abraham Kuyper Lecture is made possible by: VUvereniging | Faculty of Humanities | VU University Press