Free Heri Heri for All
1 July 2022 15:00 - 17:00
Welcome to the table! We're joining the movement! On 1 July 2022, Het Nieuwe Instituut and Het Nieuwe Café will participate in Free Heri Heri for All. This annual tradition marks the abolition of slavery on 1 July 1863. History is written and new connections are made throughout the Netherlands while enjoying twenty-thousand freely distributed plates of the Surinam dish Heri Heri.
Free Heri Heri for All
The name of the dish Heri Heri dish means 'to heal'. It is therefore a dish with a story. Though the one-pot dish, based on cassava, sweet potato, cod and banana, is now a well-known delicacy, it was originally prepared during the transatlantic slave trade and eaten by enslaved people on plantations.
In 2020, cultural entrepreneurs Ira and Ayra Kip, inspired by the global Black Lives Matter movement, decided to serve this symbolic dish at special events honouring their ancestors and slavery's abolition in the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 1 July 1863. This date was known in various parts of the former Kingdom as Ketikoti, Emancipation Day or Dia di Lucha pa Libertat.
The Kip sisters consider cooking and eating together as a great way of starting a conversation, making connections and increasing awareness and understanding. Since the event's first edition, more and more chefs, both famous and less well-known, have become involved in the initiative, and this 'table' gathering from Amsterdam has expanded to several other Dutch cities.
KIP Republic
In 2018, twin sisters Ira and Ayra Kip founded KIP Republic, a creative collective and agency for storytellers from the cultural sector and beyond. The different storytellers connect through shared values and the pursuit of an inclusive and safe society. KIP Republic develops art projects, organises events and initiates and leads public debates to stimulate critical analysis and historical awareness.
Het Nieuwe Café
At Het Nieuwe Instituut, the heri heri is prepared by chef Manuela Goncalves Tavares and her team from Het Nieuwe Café. Manuela Goncalves Tavares is well known in Rotterdam for her restaurant Coco in the Hoogstraat as well as previous ventures such as Toko 94 and Toko Trash. She regards heart and soul as essential ingredients in the kitchen and sees the restaurant not as a constantly changing concept, but as building on tradition by adding something new. Her own creations are based on an approach that she defines as 'tokological' - based on the hidden treasures, flavours and cultures that you find in the different tokos (food shops and small eateries) in the city: a real Rotterdam mix of Afro-Caribbean, Asian and Mediterranean influences.