Museum as Parliament

The museum is our playing field, in the galleries, the tower, and the auditorium. For more intimate concerts, the Studio, on the ground floor, has always been a beloved venue for our performances. Especially since Jonas Staal's Museum as Parliament: The People's Parliament of Rojava was installed there in 2018, creating seating for about 60 spectators in stands around an open center. An ideal place to sing for and with Newcomers who are regularly welcomed to the museum. And we rehearse there every week.

Rojava, a semi-autonomous region governed by Kurds in northeastern Syria, was a lot in the news in early 2026. From this region, Kurdish forces, in collaboration with the US, defeated the Islamic State in 2019. In 2026, Rojava itself was attacked by militias affiliated with the Syrian regime. As the owner of The People's Parliament of Rojava  the Van Abbemuseum decided to organize a wake to show solidarity with the Kurds.

The Van Abbemuseum Choir has two Kurdish songs in its repertoire, taught to us by Zuhâl Gezik, artistic director of the Asla Music Centre in Amsterdam: Amadiye, the name of a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Dayé, an ode to the brave mothers of Dersin. A recording of the song Dayé, made during the wake, can be seen daily in Museum as Parliament, alternating with a film by Jonas Staal.

Recording: Peter Cue, Van Abbemuseum