An actress and a refugee, The Piano Man from Aleppo, meet on the terrace of a café in Amsterdam.
The Piano Man from Aleppo is a novella, some readers call it a pamphlet, was written out of great concern about the polarization in the world. Starting point was to write a script for a film set in Amsterdam. Although the core of the story is quite serious, there are many funny situations in the book. The people in the story want the best for each other. The Pianoman from Aleppo is about empathetic people in the city who are committed to a better world.
The background story gives a picture of what is going on in our contemporary society. Such as the threat to the democratic rule of law by authoritarian politicians, scapegoat politics and the spread of hate via social media.
In part 7 of the book, the Piano Man dreams about the war in his country and his journey through Europe when he falls asleep in the Rembrandtpark. Will the demons be defeated? The Piano Man has fled from the power-hungry and bloodthirsty men Assad and Putin.
In his dream American and European politicians sit on a grandstand in the park and look away from the war crimes. Because they do nothing, a powerful being appears and takes up the fight against the monsters. She is the personification of human rights and justice. And she is being helped by dancers to defeat the demons. With what feeling does he wake up after his dream?
Tamar the actress and Shadi, who has just arrived in Amsterdam, have lost each other after an intense event in the city center. On the roof of a hotel. Will they meet again?
“Is living together, possible?” That is the key question of the book.
The #PianoMan from #Aleppo, about the meeting between #Tamar and #Shadi and the relation between #AnnaBloeme and #ThijsvanDam, and the stories of #Abi #Lucía in #Amsterdam will be published in 2025. #Anton van Amstel is the writer. #Amsterdam750 #Wallen #Opera #TheBronxJazzClub #convivencia
What about Amsterdam? The raw part is mainly the indecent, clumsy, aggressive side of the city. In crime and in traffic. Fortunately, there is also a soft, sensitive, beautiful side. Because the majority is okay, the city still remains sufficiently liveable.
The Statue of Liberty cries with Handala in her arms about the inhumanity of our politicians.
The character Handala was created in 1969 by political cartoonist Naji al-Ali, and first took its current form in 1973. Handala became the signature of Naji al-Ali’s cartoons and remains an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance. The character has been described as “portraying war, resistance, and the Palestinian identity with astounding clarity”. The photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. LEES over Handala in de column van Dilara Bilgiç in Het Parool: https://www.parool.nl/cs-bb0161da/