conversation on gentrification

On Friday August 6 we screen Residue by Merawi Gerima. This personal story centers around the filmmaker’s unrecognizable neighborhood in Washington DC, where he experiences the impact of gentrification and has to deal with a great sense of loss and not belonging.

We feel the urgency of these matters here too – Rotterdam housing policy and exclusion have been high on the political agenda this year and Rotterdam residents might recognize the issues raised in the film. To offer context to Residue and to take a closer look at the problems of gentrification here in The Netherlands, we invited two guests to join a conversation.

Massih Hutak, journalist, artist, and author of the book Jij hebt ons niet ontdekt, wij waren hier altijd al, and Meryem Slimani, photographer, art director and culture scout, will be interviewed – sharing their personal experiences, diving deeper into the origin of gentrification, and most of all, showing how the power of community can fight this problem.

Want to read and listen more?

Listen to the Groene Amsterdammer podcast with Massih here, read his book on gentrification in Amsterdam Noord, and check his community initiative Verdedig Noord. Find more on Meryem’s work on her Instagram or read about her experiences in Rotterdam West in this Vers Beton article.