Mensen Zeggen Dingen

Biographies

Ma7eo
Ma7eo didn’t choose between Medellín and Curaçao. He created something entirely new.

Mateo Bonilla Perez grew up in both Colombia and Curaçao and, for years, felt as though he was living in the space between two worlds, without truly belonging to either. Music became his way of bridging that gap. The result is a sound that never stands still: the energy of urban Latin and afrobeats that draws on the roots of salsa, bachata, merengue, zouk, and kizomba, with occasional influences from jazz, neo-soul, and hip-hop. His production is at once warm and precise, organic, yet with a clear rhythmic intent behind every layer. He writes in Spanish, Papiamento, Dutch, and English, because certain parts of his story exist only in specific languages.

Salva
Salva Akrum is a multidisciplinary artist from Rotterdam, born in Dordrecht. He moves between words, images, and the body, blending spoken word, dance, and visual art into stories that touch on memories, identity, and imagination. His work invites viewers to pause for a moment, listen, and, above all, feel. His work has previously been featured at Oerol and the Kunsthal Rotterdam, among other venues.

Wessel Klootwijk
Wessel Klootwijk (1993) is a Rotterdam-based writer, poet, and storyteller with a background in architecture. He captures fleeting moments in language, brings the art of words to life in exhibitions, and breathes life into the city on stage. His work moves between the everyday and the expansive, the affectionate and the critical—always with an eye for the beauty you might almost miss. Whether writing or speaking, he casts the most ordinary things in their most beautiful light.

With roots in Papendrecht, branches in Dordrecht, and a heart in Rotterdam, he builds bridges between people, nature, and buildings; between memory and the future. As a performer and presenter, he brings stories to life, from spoken word to written poetry and prose. A writer between the Herring Market and the harbor lights. Where everyone is a letter from a different alphabet, he loves to bridge the gap.

Daniëlle Zawadi
Daniëlle Zawadi (1999) writes prose and performs spoken word. Her stories often explore what it means to be young in the Netherlands as a second-generation immigrant: born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but raised in the Netherlands.

In her work, Zawadi explores her bicultural background. She writes about friendship and how its definition changes as she gets older. As a member of Gen Z, she sees her writing as an opportunity to capture her worldview like a photograph: an image in which others recognize themselves, because she mixes languages such as Dutch, French, and English, and references physics, pop culture, and family traditions. One example of this was her theater debut, Alstublieft, Zawadi. This was a one-woman spoken-word performance with which she toured the country.

Recently, Zawadi compiled a collection of her spoken-word texts, dedicated to #FreePalestine, #FreeSudan, and #FreeCongo. The title of the work is Ik kan eigenlijk niet op deze manier werken, and it is intended to be performed by others. With this, Zawadi hopes to lower the barrier to taking action.

Moze Naél
Somewhere between yesterday and today, Moze Naél weaves his way through spoken word, poetry, and music. Words that cut deep beneath the skin, phrases that pierce through emotions, and melodies that carry you to places you’ve never been. You’ll find Moze Naél between the lines, beyond genres. Hovering between nostalgia and melancholy, Moze Naél creates a space where sounds, words, phrases, and emotions nestle deeper within you than ever before. He has a voice like everyone else’s, yet unlike anyone else’s. Sharp, jagged edges around words, shaped by what he heard, saw, and felt. His voice is soft and raw. Words are tender and ruthless. Sounds are soothing and sharp. Moze Naél takes you into a world where you come face to face with all your contradictions. Moze Naél is more than a string of personal details, a list of publications and awards, more than a series of his “haves,” “can-dos,” and “wants.” By navigating the balance between togetherness and solitude, Moze Naél learned that striking the right chord is the only thing that matters.