Van kruidnagel tot nikkel: van rouw tot veerkracht | Warming Up Festival
An Evening with Stories and Dishes from the AllifURU
On grief, colonial disruption, and regeneration — inviting renewed connection with the land, our environment, and one another.
Join us for a special evening where we learn from the AllifURU (the Indigenous Moluccan community) about land, grief, and healing — against the backdrop of the climate crisis. The evening is guided by seMUel Sahureka and enriched by Vanessa Wattimena (Nessie’s), who will share dishes from the AllifURU kitchen.
Each of us carries a history rooted in Indigenous ancestry. This evening, food becomes a way to connect with that origin and to become aware of our relationship with the earth. Through their centuries-old way of life, the AllifURU show us how to live in reciprocity — with the land, with the generations before us, and with those yet to come. What can we learn from the AllifURU way of being, and how can we move toward a shared responsibility for a healthy environment?
Throughout the evening, the climate crisis resonates in stories about layered forms of grief. The AllifURU’s lands and communities have been destroyed since the 17th century — once for cloves, now for nickel.
Yet the AllifURU remain resilient, living in deep connection with their surroundings. This knowledge, however, is at risk of disappearing — causing both displacement and collective mourning.
seMUel Sahureka and Vanessa Wattimena are descendants in the Netherlands who pass on AllifURU culture to new generations.
seMUel does so through lectures and conferences where he shares his personal background and insights. Vanessa — known in Amsterdam as Nessie — brings the Moluccan kitchen closer to the public through culinary and social projects.
During this dinner, we slow down together. Stories and dishes appear on the table that renew our relationship with the earth, create space for grief, and offer forms of healing in a world under pressure.
Concept: seMUel Sahureka, Vanessa Wattimena & Elmo Vermijs
Stories: seMUel Sahureka
Dishes: Vanessa Wattimena (Nessie’s)
Scenography & Design: Elmo Vermijs
seMUel Sahureka is medeoprichter van de Saka Mese Nusa AllifURU-stichting. Hij zet zich in voor bescherming van de geschiedenis, cultuur, leefomgeving en identiteit van het AllifURU-volk, en verbindt traditionele kennis met actuele vraagstukken rondom ecologie en zelfbeschikking.
Elmo Vermijs is beeldend kunstenaar en beweegt zich op het raakvlak van kunst, architectuur en land(schap). In zijn werk onderzoekt hij hoe ruimte en materialen – vaak reststromen – ons kunnen leren over regeneratie en samenleven met onze omgeving. Door samen te werken met (lokale) menselijke en niet-menselijke gemeenschappen ontstaan installaties die uitnodigen tot aanraken, ervaren en vertragen. Via publicaties, workshops en gesprekken verdiept hij deze installaties. Zo opent Vermijs alternatieve perspectieven en nodigt hij bezoekers uit om stil te staan bij maatschappelijke vraagstukken en hun relatie met de leefomgeving opnieuw te bevragen.
