SOUP STORIES EXHIBITION

STORIES OF FREEDOM

Soep Stories was on display in the City Hall (Atrium) of The Hague from April 12 to May 5, 2024.

Also in 2025, in the run-up to May 5, Soep Stories will be shown in the City Hall (Atrium) of The Hague. Powerful portraits and stories of residents of The Hague who answer questions about freedoms in their lives, past and present. Created to make people talk and think about freedom.

Curious about the stories of your fellow citizens and what freedom means to them? Here you can read the stories of 8 fellow citizens of the exhibition that were shown in 2024.

Portraits photographer Anne Reitsma | Interviews Lotte van Mourik

HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT FREEDOM?

HiZiR CENGiZ

Freedom is also between your ears.

Every choice you make and every step you take, I think, starts with imagination. So the space you dare to take in your thoughts, how big you dare to dream, which highways and exits you can fantasize for yourself, which paths you dare to consider, which chances you consider realistic.

Freedom plays a role in the world in your head as well. Your imagination can be limited by, for example, the poverty in which you grew up, by the people around you, with
their judgments, expectations or worldview, or by how politicians
talking about people like you.

How beautiful it is when your head becomes a playground
is where you hop and hop and nibble and nibble. I also had myself much less
'limits granted.'

You can contribute to other people's imagination. Also in a positive way. A number of friends and teachers have done that for me. I hope that with the stories I write and the interview program I make for Het Nationale Theater I contribute to the mental freedom of the readers and visitors. So that they push the boundaries of their imagination through my stories and interviews.

Read his poem of freedom

MARIE-ANNE VAN DER TOORN

You can call me a true Scheveningen native. I represent Scheveningen everywhere, to whoever wants to hear it! I love the beach and the salty air. The sea is different every day, but always endless. When I walk here, I have the world at my feet.

I feel blessed with the freedom that we as women have in the Netherlands. As an independent woman, I have my own business and I can go and stand where I want. I decide for myself what my day looks like and who my customers are. That is a luxury, but it is also freedom. I had to fight for my own freedom, because I was always a little different from my traditional environment. I made my own plan, I am quite proud of that.

'I truly believe that I was born to make the lives of others a little more beautiful. I see where I can intervene and I like to get involved.'

As a social entrepreneur I carry out many assignments for education in the Haaglanden region. Among other things, I organize fairs for various target groups. Teenagers and young people face many challenges. I try to contribute by stimulating them in a positive way and helping them to make choices.

I get so happy from getting the youth in a positive flow, to help them on their way to an independent and free life. Freedom is something you create together.

What else makes me happy? Organizing the annual flag day! That we can and may organize this piece of cultural history with the support of the municipality, that is fantastic.

MUST

The place where I feel most at home in The Hague? That is at the Haagse Markt. I was already walking around here when I was nine, now I manage the boys who set up, clean up and keep the market clean. I know almost every stall and every face. I am someone who cannot sit still, so this work is tailor-made for me!

The best thing about The Hague is that you can be yourself. The Hague Market is the world in miniature; there is really everything walking around here. But what clothes you wear, what your background is, what your religion is; that really doesn't matter. You can say what you think, what you feel and what you think. You are not looked at strangely, we respect each other here. That feels like freedom to me.

'At the Hague Market, all kinds of cultures and people come together, and they all go through one door.'

I get up every day with a smile: I can work again! In ten years I will probably still be standing at the market with a smile. It is good work and I give something back to society. The boys who work here have a distance to the labor market, here they come home and meet new people. We keep them away from crime. I want to be an example for them, just like Appie. People quickly have a prejudice and I try to break that together with them. On the inside they are sweet boys and hard workers. Because of the market they stay off the streets and contribute something. We help each other. That is also freedom!

DiLBER ERAY

Thirty years ago, my husband and I fled. The situation in Turkey was not safe, we fled to Germany and four years later to the Netherlands. We were warmly welcomed here and now we live in a lively neighbourhood in The Hague. There is always something to do and see on the streets: the busy market, children playing, neighbours having a chat. People are involved with each other and take each other's needs into account. That is true freedom for me.

'Despite the language barrier, I feel safe, free and welcome in our neighborhood. I am very grateful for that.'

I love being here. I have a lot of social contact in the neighborhood; for example, I like to take a walk through the Zuiderpark with the neighbor, and recently a joint afternoon was organized in the community center for neighbors. With a group of women of the same age,

but different cultures, we cooked, ate and chatted together. I really liked that, it makes me feel stronger. In the Netherlands we can decide for ourselves how we want to live. That is freedom like I don't always have

have known.

I am illiterate, which is why it is sometimes difficult for me to work independently in the Netherlands. Yet I feel free and safe. The government does not leave me alone, but gives me many rights and provides me with medical care. I am very grateful for that.

MARiE BENEŠOVÁ

Before I came to the ROC I found it difficult to listen and participate at school. I was sometimes quite a problem child. When I was 16 I went to Praktijkschool de Einder and there I suddenly felt at home, things went well at school and now I even do an internship here.

At the ROC I work in the kitchen. I like to prepare and cook a nice salad, for example. But I also do my best to get certificates, that looks good on my resume! What do I like to cook the most? I think macaroni, that's tasty and easy. It's really a passion to be busy with cooking. I used to be busy with food a lot, and I think it's pretty cool that I can make those things myself now. That gives me a feeling of freedom. I would secretly like to open my own restaurant. Maybe sometime in the future, not yet.

'Friends can always come to me to talk or just to find some distraction in the city. Whatever happens, we never look at each other strangely.'

In The Hague I like to go to the city to shop with friends or with my brother. But I also like to draw and play games, I like to be creative. When I want to relax I go to the beach with my dog, walk along the boulevard.

I consider myself a go-getter. I used to have a hard time sometimes and now I have achieved this, I am proud of that. I would like to tell other young people that they should also follow their dreams. Do not let yourself be influenced by your environment, there is much more in you than you
maybe thinks.

MAGDA KORENHOF

I was looking for freedom early on. At thirteen, I was sent from Suriname to the Netherlands to study. A few years later, both my parents died. I went to study nursing; that way I had my own room and could stand on my own two feet.

For me, as a woman, freedom means being able to participate equally in society; the right to vote, freedom to choose your study and career and freedom to shape your own life. Freedom to travel, to buy a house. To be who you are. But with freedom also comes responsibilities. For example, we Surinamese fought for the official holiday of Keti Koti; the abolition of slavery. In addition to our right to freedom and culture, we also have a duty to abide by the rules.

'Maintaining social ties with friends and family; that is the kind of freedom I wanted to give my children. We celebrated all birthdays and special moments at home, I think that is important.'

Since I live in The Hague, I also have Surinamese friends. Friendships are very important to me. I know that because I lost my parents at a young age, and I noticed it again when my husband died three years ago. Being able to choose your own friends; that is also freedom.

I have experienced a lot over the years, the discrimination I experienced in the past is still there. I let that pass me by these days. I am actually very satisfied with my life, with my children, family and friends. And of course with my greatest hobbies: quilting, reading, embroidery, cooking; I am always busy. I don't want to travel that much anymore, but my daughter thought I should say goodbye to my country. Next year I will go there, to Suriname. It will definitely be an unforgettable trip.

JAN VAN ZANEN
MAYOR OF THE HAGUE

In my life I have lived in many places, but for more than four years now I have felt at home in The Hague. This international city of Peace and Justice fascinates me. A world city bordering eleven kilometers of beach; wonderful.

In the Netherlands we are free to move and free to have an opinion. We cast our vote and the press is free and diverse. Complaining is allowed, whining too. Opinions and views may differ. You don't have to hide from anything.

'In The Hague, as the international city of Peace and Justice, we show that freedom exists through connection. That is something to cherish.'

What gives me the feeling of freedom? I am an early bird; during the week I am in the pool at six o'clock and in the weekend I like to take a morning walk. At a brisk walking pace I walk along the Scheveningen woods to the Peace Palace, I touch the lamppost, and walk back again. The Peace Palace is of course an icon for our city of Peace and Justice. This year it is 125 years ago that the first Peace Conference took place.

Freedom and peace cannot exist without connection, without continuing to find and meet each other. I visit as many districts and neighborhoods as often and as much as possible. In doing so, I want to create connections between people and initiatives that strengthen the coexistence of The Hague. I do this with everything I have and can, together with the 45 members of the municipal council, the aldermen, our employees and countless involved residents and entrepreneurs. Freedom and security; we have to cherish it. Locally, nationally and internationally. After all, it is not a peaceful given, as we know all too well in our international city of Peace and Justice.

NiCK TOET

Who is Nick? A content creator from The Hague with a Scheveningen surname; direct but also sweet, a big mouth but also a small heart. Loves good food. I used to be a street urchin, but nowadays I am a neat boy. Born and raised in The Hague, my favorite place is the Havenhoofd.

Nowadays I present Cakes of Babel, where I bake cakes with children and talk. It is perhaps one of the most impressive things I have done. Those children have sometimes experienced a lot, but they tell it without shame and judgement. Different from adults, much freer.

'Freedom is also daring to ask questions. Being involved with friends and family. Sometimes you don't have to understand everything, as long as you know what's going on.'

They often hold up a mirror to me; we all need someone who asks how things are going. And someone who actually listens to the answer, asks further questions. I think that sometimes we are a little afraid to ask questions, maybe because we are afraid of being judged. But breaking away and daring to talk, that is freedom.

My love for cooking started as a child and during the pandemic I became known with my cooking videos. With my videos I want to entertain, but I also try to teach people some basic cooking techniques. Why you do something for example, or the history of a recipe. Just like Nick, in my videos things sometimes go wrong. Being able to cook for yourself, so being able to take care of yourself, is definitely freedom. And the fact that I am free in the Netherlands to create and publish what I want, that is a freedom I am very grateful for.