THE DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET A NIGHT TO REMEMBER WHO INSPIRES SAM SMITH INTERVIEW WITH BRANDI CARLILE 01 FOREWORD INTRODUCING 02. MICHAELA’S VISITS TO HUMBERTO TAN UGANDA AND LEBANON 03. Your host of the night ABOUT WAR CHILD Humberto is a much-loved TV and radio presenter of Surinamese descent, best known for his presentation of RTL Late Night and 04. spots on RTL Boulevard, Studio Sport, Dance Dance Dance and MEET DANIEL - Holland’s Got Talent. For his work, he has won the Sonja Barend WAR CHILD Award and two times the Silver Televisier Star. FACILITATOR 05. 06 10 Wake up to the radio? ERNST SUUR - 15 YEARS DUTCH NATIONAL CHEFS & REFUGEE You might’ve caught Humberto brightening up your morning on ON THE FRONTLINE BALLET COMPANY Evers Staat Op or On the Move. Michaela is delighted to welcome him as your host for the event. 07. 11. SAM SMITH ADVISORY GROUP Did you know? Humberto was this year named Knight of the Order of Orange- 08. 12. Nassau. BRANDI CARLILE THANK YOU 09. MIA DEPRINCE & LAVINIA MEIJER 2 Foreword: Humberto Tan Voorwoord: HumbertoContent page Tan 3 PROGRAMME 6PM – RECEPTION & BITES — 7.15PM – OPENING Michaela DePrince & Humberto Tan — 7.45PM – A DREAM IS A SEED Michaela’s Story Yav - Christian Yav Latch - Sam Smith & Edo Wijnen — 8.20PM – A DREAM TAKES WORK I Am Enough - Daniel Montero Real & Band, Edo Wijnen & Nathan Brhane Interactive Session - Let’s draw Bubble of Time - Lavinia Meijer — 9.05PM – A DREAM AS ACHIEVEMENT Ocen Daniel Osako, War Child Facilitator Uganda The Joke – Brandi Carlile Party of One - Sam Smith & Brandi Carlile Auction – led by Paulina Cramer — 10.20PM – A DREAM TO SHARE 5 Tangos - Constantine Allen Embers - Nathan Brhane & Jessica Xuan Finale - Michaela & Mia DePrince — ‘TIL MIDNIGHT DJ Joshua Walters with vocals by Mavis Acquah 5 Dear friends, family, partners and colleagues… What a special moment this is. After months of planning, practicing - and dreaming - I welcome you all warmly to AFAS Live. It’s been three years since I became an ambassador for War Child Holland. And much longer still, since I left the orphanage in Sierra Leone to start a new life. What I’ve learnt along the way is that it takes a great deal more than a safe place to sleep, food on the table or fame and fortune to really overcome the demons of your past. Dare to dream? Yes. But fi rst we have to really look inwards. I strongly believe in two things: psychosocial support and education. It’s as simple and as earth- shattering as that. That’s why I organised this gala. We all have a big task ahead of us. Where will your money go? Towards supporting children aff ected by war and armed confl ict to access eff ective psychosocial support - because mental health is just as important as physical wellbeing. During a recent trip to Uganda I met Daniel (see page 14), someone who’s fi ghting back and making a diff erence in his community. He reminded me of the day I learnt to dance. He reminded me of my goal in all of this. I wish you all a wonderful evening in which we can give a voice to children in confl ict. Let's dare to dream! MICHAELA DEPRINCE MY STORY Michaela was born in Sierra Leone in 1995 in the midst of a bloody civil war. During her fi rst years of life, some 50,000 men, women and children lost their lives. Her parents were among the dead. “I was born with vitiligo, a skin condition which causes patches of my skin to lose its pigment and turn white. Because of this, I was exposed to ridicule and harassment in the orphanage I grew up in. They called me the devil’s child. One morning, the dusty wind blew a yellowed magazine down the street onto the orphanage gate. On the cover was a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe. I didn’t know what she was doing when I fi rst saw her but it didn’t really matter much to me. Of course I noticed her pink tutu. But what planted the seed of hope - that I hadn’t felt in a long time - was that she looked so happy and content. All I knew right away was that I had to be this person.” Today, Michaela - War Child And she believes this outlook “TURN YOUR PAST; Holland ambassador and fi ts perfectly with War Child’s Dutch National Ballet soloist - mission. “Through specialised YOUR SCARS INTO has achieved all that and more. psychosocial support, War YOUR STRENGTH. Child provides children with THAT’S WHAT “My American adoptive the support I could only have parents were ultimately my wished for as a child - the I ALWAYS TRY salvation,” she says. “I spent opportunity to play, to sing and TO DO.” the next years of my childhood express yourself.” in the United States where “It’s never enough for me,” she ballet became my vocation. And - following her recent says. “That’s why I organised My dream came true.” appearance at the International Dare to Dream. At this moment, Conference on Mental Health some 420 million children are Michaela’s outlook is simple: and Psychosocial Support in growing up in an environment “Turn your past, your scars into Crisis Situations in Amsterdam of armed confl ict. My dream is your strength. That’s what - Michaela is determined to that I will one day live to see a I always try to do.” shed light on this topic. huge decrease in this number.” 8 My story - Michaela DePrince We organized a workshop that Did anything surprise her? and partners through years of day where I explained to a group “First of all, I have seen - I know testing and research. “And it of children what ballet is. We - how important it is to have works,” Michaela says. had so much fun!” a Safe Space that's more than “The children were so eager just a house built of stones. It’s to learn. I was told that this And did her experiences a place with people around you kind of education is also used bring our programmes to who care about you. And a place in other countries where War life? “In lots of ways,” Michaela where you care about others.” Child works, such as Sudan and smiles. “In both countries, I “Secondly, I was impressed by Jordan,” she adds. “I believe it enjoyed participating in the the knowledge and enthusiasm has great potential.” daily activities run by War of the hardworking staff and Child - a combination of games, facilitators on the ground. Many “ON STAGE THEY LET GO sports, education and dancing, had their own experiences of OF EVERYTHING. THAT all focused on children’s mental war yet they were still able to REALLY TOUCHED ME.” health and wellbeing. Of help others. For me, they are the course, I was well briefed by the real heroes.” “And in Lebanon I also learnt Amsterdam off ice, but it only something new - the ‘Dabke’ started to make sense when I “I was particularly fascinated dance,” Michaela recalls. “It’s a saw how these (psychosocial) by the e-learning programme traditional Arabic dance that’s methodologies applied to the Can’t Wait to Learn, which an absolute favourite at parties.” children.” Work such as this I saw in action within the Michaela pauses for a moment remains challenging - with the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, with her thoughts. “Dancing number of children around the Lebanon. Many children can’t connects children with each world living in confl ict zones attend regular schools but this other but it also connects the on the rise – but Michaela teaches them to read, write and child with their own emotions. is positive about the steps count via tablets - amongst It’s the perfect way to express MY STORY that have been made in the other things.” your feelings and a powerful humanitarian sector. “I felt like outlet. You don’t always have to a child again,” she says. “I saw Lebanon - which struggles with talk.” that children were opening up a weak economy and depleted AND and expressing themselves social services - continues “Dance is what helps them and through easy games and to meet the needs of Syrian what fi nally helped me. For in personal interaction. They refugees, who today make up my performance lies everything: connected with each other - and a quarter of the population. In my past, present and future. ultimately with themselves. For 2018, some 300,000 refugee On stage, they too let go of me, this shows what resilience children in Lebanon were out of everything. That really touched In the summer of 2019, But, fortunately, Michaela got on Julia (12) was one of these means in practice, and how to school. me.” Michaela visited Uganda and the plane. “I decided I wanted children. “Meeting Julia was like be like a ‘regular child’, despite Lebanon to see the work of to see War Child’s work with seeing myself as little Mabinty the things they have gone Fast, eff ective and low-cost, the War Child fi rst-hand. It was my own eyes,” she says. “The again,” Michaela recalls. “The through. It all restores hope and evidence-based programme time for her to meet children work that makes a diff erence in sadness mixed with great confi dence.” was developed by War Child who are growing up just like the lives of children. That was wisdom.