A concert featuring the well-known soprano Hanli Stapela will be held on 13 March and admission is free. All are also welcome to attend a free screening of the film De helaasheid der dingen (The Misfortunates) on 14 March.

The colloquium is an initiative of the Noordelike Kennisnetwerk vir Neerlandistiek (NKN), with financial support by the Nederlandse Taalunie and the generous participation of both the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the General Representation of the Flemish government in South Africa. We are also grateful for the support received from the Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds.

RSVP: Tercia Klopper – [email protected]

PROGRAMME

9–13 March 2015

Exhibition of the multifaceted and interesting collection of Dutch books in the possession of the Merensky 2 Library of the University of Pretoria (Level 3)

Friday, 13 March 2015

18:00 Concert in the Musaion, Hatfield Campus, University of Pretoria

Afrikaans and Dutch poems set to music by among others Alexander Johnson, professor in composition, University of Pretoria

The soprano Hanli Stapela will be accompanied on the piano by Jannie le Roux

Saturday, 14 March 2015

Graduate Centre of the University of Pretoria, Room 1-68

10:00 Opening and welcoming address

Prof Andries Visagie, Department of Afrikaans, University of Pretoria

Mr Jeroen-Louis Martens, First Secretary, Press and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

10:30 Panel discussion on the cultural mission of the Dutch Embassy and the Flemish Representation in South Africa

Panel members:

Dr Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa Dr Geraldine Reymenants, General Representative of the Flemish Government in South Africa

(Panel chair: Prof Andries Visagie)

11:00 Mr Ruan Coetzer and Dr Martina Vitackova: Personal experience of study in the Netherlands and Flanders

11:30 Translation: Report by Renée Marais on two translation projects: Oeroeg by Hella S Haase and Minoes by Annie MG Schmidt

13:00 Reading from own work by visiting Belgian poet Paul Bogaert

13:30 Reading from own work by visiting Iraqi-born poet and author Rodaan Al Galidi (the Netherlands)

15:00–17:30 Film screening (Room 1-68, Graduate Centre)

De helaasheid der dingen (The Misfortunates) (2009), with English subtitles

Director: Felix van Groeningen

De helaasheid der dingen is an adaptation of the bestseller by Flemish author Dimitri Verhulst (2006). Thirteen-year-old Gunther Strobbe lives with his father and three uncles in the house of his grandmother in the nondescript town Reetveerdegem. The brothers live by the motto ’God created this day and we will merrily party our way through it.’ Gunther is exposed daily to the four adults’ consumption of inordinate amounts of alcohol, womanising and general idleness, until he tries to escape the miserable state of affairs by taking control of his fate.