Will’s Will: Shakespeare’s Legacy
December 16, 2009 Leave a Comment
The ‘December Do’ of 2009 of the International Women’s Club – South Limburg together with the Limburg branch of the Anglo-Dutch Society in Maastricht turned out to be a very successful match. Not only did it bring various international people together, and with them a selection of various, finger-licking, international delicacies - as if each ‘National Honour’ was at stake ! - but also because of the great professionalism of the Amsterdam Chamber Theatre. Resy Snyders, Chairman of the Anglo-Dutch Society, Limburg branch.
Twenty years later: have the walls of Europe really come down?
November 25, 2009 Leave a Comment
Exactly two decades ago, people gathered on both sides of the Berlin Wall and climbed over it, marking by this act the beginning of the collapse of the Eastern block and the Soviet Union. For many across the European continent, the commemoration of this anniversary on 9 November 2009 was not only a moment of celebration but also an incentive for rationalisation and analysis. From the heart of reunited Europe, Maastricht University’s Science Café hosted a debate to look at developments within and outside the European Union since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and to reflect on the question: “Has the wall really come down?”. A review by Sofia Tussis.
World Press Photo: Smile, it is an order
November 16, 2009 Leave a Comment
Images depicting the ravages of war, like shots of Palestinian protesters taking cover behind an olive tree from tear gas fired by Israeli troops, and photographs of natural catastrophes, like the devastating earthquake that killed 70,000 people in central China, are extensively represented in this year’s World Press Photo exhibition.
“It is like this magic surrealism of reality and the kind of different world we have created,” said Micaela Pereira, manager of Exhibitions Planning and Logistics at World Press Photo, before the opening of the 2009 World Press Photo exhibition held at the Centre Ceramique in Maastricht between 6 and 29 November.
I.O.U.S.A: a wake-up call
November 10, 2009 Leave a Comment
Patrick Creadon’s documentary I.O.U.S.A. is an attempt at alerting his fellow American citizens on the gravity of the economic situation in their country. A review by Jasmijn van der Ploeg.
Maastricht Debates: Herman Mulder on the global financial system and development challenges
October 15, 2009 Leave a Comment
For the second time this year on September 22, Maastricht Debates used a new, interactive format to discuss issues around the global financial system and development challenges. Three short fragments from Erwin Wagenhofer’s documentary “Let’s make money” (2009) were used to trigger the debate between the audience and the evening’s keynote speaker Herman Mulder, former head of Group-Risk Management at ABN Amro and now independent advisor to the United Nations.
Festival Bruis and Maastricht’s global dimension
October 6, 2009 Leave a Comment
What better to start the new academic year in Maastricht than with a multicultural music festival? A review of Festival Bruis by Catalina Goanta.
Photo-reportage: Darwin & Maastricht exhibition at Maastricht University (until 20 November 2009)
September 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
The Darwin & Maastricht exhibition, one of the events organised by Maastricht University for Darwin Year 2009, highlights the links between Charles Darwin and a few scientists born in this region. Let’s follow Guest curator Ludo Hellemans on a tour of the exhibition…
An interview with James Moore on “Darwin’s Sacred Cause and the Problem of Slavery”
September 25, 2009 Leave a Comment
A new book by Darwin scholars Adrian Desmond and James Moore suggests that Darwin’s unique approach to evolution – relating all races and species by “common descent” – could have been fostered by his anti-slavery beliefs. Author James Moore sheds some light on his views in an email interview with science writer Ludo Hellemans ahead of his upcoming lecture at Maastricht University on October 2.
Confessions of a culture junkie: Pecha Kucha Maastricht makes the grade
June 30, 2009 2 Comments
Jeroen Vinken - Art upon Fabrics
For US expat Susan Schaefer, the recent Pecha Kucha Night revealed a side of Maastricht that she had never experienced before: “Maastricht and its surrounding “Euroregion” area shone as a wholly new sphere in my celestial imagination,” she writes.
Exile on Main Street: nine American artists’ “exile on mainstream”
June 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
The nine artists featured in Exile on Main Street at Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht have done solo exhibitions before in Europe and in the US. Now, in a European first, their works are being shown under one roof. Although the artists are all American, it can be argued that this exhibition could not as easily have been put together in their home country, because of the type of content the artworks deal with. They tackle the taboos in art, either in style or context, by using confrontation, humour, sex, disgust, sarcasm, self-criticism and admiration in their artworks. A review by Burcak Gursoy.
European youth willing to help solve the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, “humbly, yet ambitiously”
May 23, 2009 2 Comments
Maastricht students massively attended a recent debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict organised by Amnesty International Maastricht Students, Universalis and HumanRightsForce, an indication once again that no matter how divisive, the conflict in the Middle East is a catalyst of public interest. A review by Sofia Tussis.
What kind of European Union do we need?
May 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
Dutch professor of economics Rick van der Ploeg was the keynote speaker for this year’s Schuman lecture at Maastricht University titled: “Political Economy of Reinventing Europe”.
His message: “The EU needs to be alive and kicking!” A review by Amandine de Rosnay.
Covering world affairs in an international environment at EuroMUN 2009
May 15, 2009 Leave a Comment
Up to 400 international students from over 30 different countries on 23-26 April 2009 gathered in Maastricht to participate in the second edition of European Model United Nations (EuroMUN). Belgian student Daphne Delvaux took part in the event as a reporter for the Delegate’s Daily, EuroMUN’s internal daily newsletter and discovered that her task was no “less intensive and demanding than the work of country delegates”.
Maastricht Debates: Insights from India and Kenya on development aid in times of crises
May 12, 2009 1 Comment
For the first time, Maastricht Debates on April 21 exchanged one of the lecture halls of Maastricht University for the creative setting of AINSI (a cultural initiative for Art, Industry, Nature, Society, and Innovation) in the southern outskirts of Maastricht, at a 10 minute bike ride from the city centre. The topic of the evening, “Development aid in times of financial and economic crises”, lay at the heart of the overarching theme of Maastricht Debates: “Development and Globalization”. A review by Daniel Fabio Mannfeld.
A message of hope from Zimbabwean students in Maastricht
May 6, 2009 1 Comment
Four Zimbabwean students recently gave a joint talk about the current situation in their home country. The talk was organised during Ragweek by the IES network, the organisation for Infonomics & Economics Students at Maastricht University. “The first speaker engaged the audience straight away with a powerful preamble and within the first ten minutes, the audience was all ears,” remembers Amandine de Rosnay.
Cultural Rag: An evening in wonderland for a good cause
May 6, 2009 3 Comments
Maastricht this year hosted its tenth Rag Week, with all the proceeds going to two different charity organisations - one national, one international. Fundraising activities were manifold, from barbecues to poker evenings to, obviously, parties. Italian student Sofia Tussis shares her impressions of the Cultural Rag evening, the arts festival of the Rag Week.
Low budget culinary indulgence in Maastricht
March 22, 2009 4 Comments
What are the best cheap spots for lunch in Maastricht? Sina Spohr shares some of her favourite (and less favourite) addresses in the city centre.
Europe at a turning point – Minister for European Affairs Frans Timmermans on European integration
March 11, 2009 2 Comments
Dutch European Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans recently visited his birthplace Maastricht to explain why he believes that Europe has “the best system in the world” to overcome the current economic and financial crisis. A review by Sofia Tussis.
The iron gates next to the windmills – Amnesty International Maastricht Students speak out on detention centres in the Netherlands
February 19, 2009 Leave a Comment
Is the welcoming attitude which characterized the Netherlands in the 1960’s and 70’s fading away? Amnesty International Maastricht Students on February 8th hosted an awareness-raising event titled “Detention without crime in the Netherlands?- A refugee’s reality”. A review by Sofia Tussis.
Will religion evolve or die?
February 14, 2009 Leave a Comment
Religion was at the core of the two recent events in Maastricht hosted by Studium Generale, and while they were both very different in their perspectives on the topic, they both succeeded in provoking conversation amongst the audience, and perhaps reorienting our ideas about the nature of our relationship with the transcendent. A review by Eliot Rolen.
How Calvinistic is modern Dutch society?
February 12, 2009 7 Comments
The influence of Calvinism in Dutch culture was the theme of a recent lecture at Maastricht University by Dutch author Han van der Horst. A review by Amandine de Rosnay.
Will Barack Obama redeem the US to the world?
January 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
“As an American expat who has lived abroad for much of the Bush presidency I have become accustomed to being told by everyone how much respect the world has lost for the United States because of its incompetent leadership, and I admit, I have lost faith in it as well,” says Eliot Rolen.
Will the newly elected US President Barack Obama redeem the US to the world? According to Dutch journalist and US politics expert Frans Verhagen, Obama appears to have what it takes. Eliot Rolen reports.
“You want to play a role in 2018? Then you need to be convincing” - Alexander van Grevenstein, artistic director of the Bonnefanten Museum
December 17, 2008 4 Comments
The Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht will in 2009 celebrate the 125th anniversary of its foundation. “With time, our institution has grown into the only art museum in the area, focusing both on old masters and contemporary art,” says artistic director Alexander van Grevenstein in an interview with Crossroads writer Saramicol Viscardi.
The Day of the International Student in The Hague
November 30, 2008 Leave a Comment
The Day of the International Student (DIS) this year again attracted thousands of foreign students to the city of The Hague. An initiative of the Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education, or NUFFIC, DIS is an opportunity for international students to get together and take part in various workshop or debates, have fun together during a dinner and a party, and overall feel welcomed in the Netherlands. A review by Catalina Goanta.
Going Glocal in the visual arts
November 22, 2008 1 Comment
The Glocal Affairs – Where Are You visual arts manifestation encompasses a number of different, and often unusual, events across the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, with the city of Maastricht as its main location.
Besides exhibitions, the programme is rich in intriguing lectures, performances, tours and concerts, lasting until November 30, 2008. A review by Saramicol Viscardi
Kader Abdolah: “I learned this arrogance from the Dutch”
November 11, 2008 9 Comments
In the interviews he’s given to the media, the Iranian born writer Kader Abdolah says that he hopes that his books will lead to a better understanding of Islam and help promote the dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims.
But the views he expressed on October 29 in front of the packed audience at Maastricht University were very hard to hear for faithful Muslims like myself, says Belgian-Moroccan student Esma Alouet.
Centre Céramique hosts 2008 World Press Photo exhibit, and more
October 27, 2008 Leave a Comment
Apart from hosting the 2008 World Press Photo exhibition in the coming weeks and presenting Limburg-made “Cradle to Cradle” products as of 7 December 2008, Centre Céramique offers many valuable resources for expats in Maastricht. A report by Catalina Goanta.
Review: All that Jazz!
October 24, 2008 Leave a Comment
A record number of 50.000 visitors, many of whom travelled from Belgium, England and France, converged to Maastricht for the recent Jazz Promenade festival. A review by Catalina Goanta.
Researchers’ Night: That’s Edutainment!
October 8, 2008 Leave a Comment
Organised by the European Commission, the Researchers’ Night is a European project that aims to increase public recognition for researchers through a variety of activities bringing together education and entertainment, or “edutainment”. This year, the Researchers’ Night took place on 26 September and the two Dutch host cities were Amsterdam and… Maastricht. A report by Catalina Goanta.
Cultural season opens in Maastricht
September 19, 2008 Leave a Comment
Maastricht recently celebrated the beginning of a new cultural season with a vast range of activities taking place in the city centre as part of the popular festival “Het Parcours” and the national Heritage Days . A photo-reportage by Catalina Goanta.
