Help

performance
Anoek’s great-aunt bequeathed to her Auxilium, a Christian charity fund. Since its founding in the 1960s, the foundation has supported small-scale medical projects in Africa. Suddenly Anoek had the responsibility for this fund. But what was she to do with it? Did she still believe in development aid in 2015? What do prosperity and the humanitarian spirit mean in the twenty-first century? To find answers, Anuk travelled to Africa. With the performance Hulp, she shared her findings and dilemmas, and asked the public for advice. Does help help?

design
Whenever Anoek’s great-aunt faced a dilemma, she brought together her so-called “sounding board group” to pray and drink together. Anoek also gathers all kinds of people to exchange ideas with her. In Kenya, she organised a meeting about the future of the foundation, which was filmed. We projected the film on a large white wooden screen. From this same wood, we built a compact arena riser, with as many places to sit as there had been in the video. The Kenyans and the audience members in the Netherlands look into each other’s eyes. Together, they form the new sounding board group; the theatrical space becomes a forum for questions.