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HAPPENING 25 JUNE 2026 | Writer and columnist Özcan Akyol will speak in Rotterdam on Thursday 25 June about multilingualism, identity and the role language can play in creating opportunities for young people. The free KunstPakt lecture at OASE looks at what it means to move between languages, cultures and social worlds in a city where many families use more than one language every day.
Photo: Wim Sneller
The evening, titled Skipper, may I cross? (Schipper, mag ik overvaren?), centres on the idea of living “between shores”. Akyol will draw on his own experience of translating between Turkish and Dutch as a child and later navigating different social environments as a writer.
Language between home and school
Multilingualism is part of everyday Rotterdam life. Many young people grow up speaking one language at home, another at school and perhaps several more among friends, relatives and online communities.
That can be an advantage, but it can also create distance when the language and cultural references used at home are barely recognised in education. The lecture asks how schools and cultural organisations can make better use of that experience instead of treating it mainly as a difficulty.
Akyol will discuss how language can create connection but also make people feel excluded. His personal story shows how reading, writing and storytelling can help people move between different worlds and develop confidence in their own voice.
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From personal stories to education
The evening also looks at equal opportunities in education. Among the central questions are how to encourage young people to enjoy language, how multilingualism and street culture can have a place in the classroom, and how arts education can support students whose lives do not always fit neatly into one cultural frame.
After Akyol’s lecture, education and culture professionals will discuss practical ideas for schools and cultural institutions. The panel includes Martine van der Pluijm, Sabrina Alhanachi and Patrick Ribeiro, with Hizir Cengiz as moderator.
The aim is to move beyond general statements about diversity and examine how language teaching and arts education can connect more closely with the lives of Rotterdam’s young people.
Roufaida brings music into the debate
Singer Roufaida will perform during the evening. Her music moves between English, Arabic and Riffian, combining indie pop with North African influences.
Her work offers another perspective on multilingualism: language as a source of creativity, rhythm and identity rather than simply something that needs to be mastered correctly.
The event is organised by the Rotterdam Centre for Arts Education (Kenniscentrum Cultuuronderwijs Rotterdam, KCR). KCR works on making arts education accessible and relevant to children and young people across the city.
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Free lecture at OASE
The KunstPakt lecture takes place on Thursday 25 June 2026 from 19:30 to 22:00, with doors opening at 19:00. Admission is free, but registration is required.
More information and registration are available via https://www.kc-r.nl/agenda/schipper-mag-ik-overvaren-kunstpakt-lezing-oezcan-akyol-over-leven-tussen-oevers/
How to get there
OASE is located in the Schiehaven area of Rotterdam-West, close to the Lloydkwartier and the river. The venue can be reached by public transport, bike or on foot from nearby parts of Delfshaven and the city centre.
