MEZRAB STORYTELLING: Recent Episodes
Mezrab
A street assault with a gun turns into an experience of love and empathy for Valentine.
What if your favorite objects had a voice and a personality? What would your bike think of your riding skill? Would your journal be moved by your sad entries? Dom explores what would happen if your discman doesn't share your taste in music.
Kiki possesses a gift that, although enviable to most of us, puts her in conflict with her idea of herself.
Bipin's brush with death while learning to swim gave him a new outlook on life.
Content warning: This story discusses suicidal thoughts. If you are feeling overwhelmed, please seek support. www.findahelpline.com
For mortals like you and me, the only oasis of eternity is the moment we spend with each other. Enjoy Salomé's account of the instants she shared with her ageless father.
How long will you commit to a joke before it becomes your life? Rutger's edgy sense of humor took him far beyond his comfort zone.
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Growing up is more than just being allowed to consume mature content. It's revisiting and revalorizing the role of our parents in shaping us with their displays of love and discipline during our childhood.
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We all have these relationships in our lives that, for various reasons, we wonder why we put up with them. Instead of focusing of answering that question, why don't we explore the other questions that arise from it? Join Olga in diving into the fishbowl.
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If there's such a thing as different genres of stories among the ones we hear in Mezrab, a favorite is certainly "Grandmas' Stories." This is because some of us didn't have grandmas around, or they were, but sucked at storytelling. However, we're lucky that Rapha's grandma was an excellent storyteller , and so is her grandson.
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Phillip opens his mind and heart to us, delving into how he struggled to prepare a story to establish a deep connection with us. It makes me think of how we're still monkeys, going around shaking trees, thinking we're looking for food when all we look for is company. But Phillip's metaphors are better than mine. Enjoy.
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Sometimes I have the suspicion that certain events happen just so that someone can tell the story later. It is the case of Michael's experience. Although his wild ride from hospital to hospital, heightened by opiates and swarming wasps, is completely true, it almost seems like it belongs to the realm of fiction.
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In one of our LGBTQ evenings, Sinead tells the story of Saint Brigid, the icon that inspired her childhood crush: Xena, the Warrior Princess.
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There are people in this world who seem to have figured out what it means to be a human being. When that person happens to be your grandmother, that's a voice that stays with you for life. In this story, Nadine shares the most important lessons she learned from her grandmother.
When it comes to avoiding the cycle of destruction, our only hope is in remembering the past. Aryeh intertwines the love story of his grandparents during WWII with the parable of Rabbi Ishmael and the tragedies of this day and age.
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For most of us in Mezrab, English is a second language we use to connect quickly with each other. However, it's often the unique flavors that each of us adds to the language that really makes the connection. Asya shared with us her experience of falling in love while attending school in Türkiye. It'll probably resonate with you, not simply because she tells it in English, but mostly because you're human.
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Rasha is Palestinian with an Israeli passport. Her family's story is one of displacement ever since her grandmother was expelled by the Israeli army from her village during the Nakba of 1948. What does being at home mean when you are a refugee in your own homeland?
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Every week, Mezrab welcomes hundreds of immigrants who came to The Netherlands by choice or by necessity to make a new home. The person writing this (AKA me) is one of them. Especially in these times, it's cool to hear a native Dutch person relating to our experience as fishes out of water.
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When Irina discovered her house had been broken into and her possessions stolen, it initially seemed like a terrible crisis. Yet, when you're making a new country your home, the tough moments often reveal the blessings in our lives.
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Have you ever had a crush on a historical figure? Imagine being able to have a coffee with Napoleon, or exploring the countryside with Joan of Arc, or having a long conversation with Alan Turing. Farnoosh confesses her historical crush is Princess Taj, the jewel of Persia.
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Every once in a while, we have a night in Mezrab called Off the Page, where we tell stories inspired by books. Violeta took a creative twist on the assignment, offering a scathing review about a book her boyfriend gifted her, which she hated thoroughly. Enjoy this cautionary tale on the art of selecting the right book as a gift.
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The best starting point for any project is the moment it begins. Picture this: you're on your way to a job interview at a senior retirement home. Suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by a group of seniors, all eagerly expecting to be entertained. Sounds like the promising start of an incredible project, doesn't it? Well, it's also the start of a fantastic story.
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Discovering our own voice and identity is a long journey for many of us. However, some people are exploring uncharted territory when it comes to understanding themselves as something that society has yet to recognize. This path is not without its difficulties, but the rewards are plenty.
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For the party crowd, it's a dazzling whirl of dance beats and wild fun. For the cultural connoisseurs, it's a vibrant splash of diversity. But for Ash, Eurovision is the backdrop to a story that redefines what an open relationship is. Crank up the volume. This is the rhythm of that peculiar night.
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What's in a word? What we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet. Sometimes the only thing standing between two lovers is the specific name of that bond. As if the word 'gay' was anything else than a random assembly of sounds, changing nothing on the nature of love. If we could only shed our fear of certain words, imagine the multitude of joys that would unfold before us.
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There's a Bible verse that says something like "be patient in tribulation". However, when the specific tribulation is breaking your genitalia, the Bible says: "No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord." It's definitely hard to be a good catholic.
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What is love? We've been asking ourselves that question for thousands of years. Some of us thought that Haddaway's song would provide an answer, but nothing. Let me try one: Love is something too vast for arms' reach, yet it fits within a hug. Not bad, I would say, but I'm biased. If you want a better answer, check out this story.
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Many of the stories that are told at Mezrab could easily be turned into TV pilots. Although we are still trying to scratch the surface of television industry, sometimes we have a story that already got picked up on the small screen, and we get the opportunity to hear the protagonist's first hand account.
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Two fearless teenagers dare to dive into a cave, craving to uncover its secrets. What lay hidden in the depths is a dramatic rite of passage.
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Sometimes, the sum of a person's efforts over the years converge at the moment when a form was filled out or not. The story of Sinead attempting to enroll in university is a reflection of the ancestral struggle of human beings against bureaucracy.
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Did you know that before Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train", people already met each other on trains? Yeah, reality came first, but now it seems as though such encounters belong to works of fiction. If you're looking for a story that could fit into the rom-com, dark comedy, or adult genres (or in all three combined), then you should check out Marijn's.
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As Freudians love saying, if you want to understand the feelings of a lactose-intolerant towards ice cream, you should examine their relationship with their parents. Jennifer's story portrays the many flavors of a challenging relationship.
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Being a rebel is something you learn at home. Fer was 7 when he discovered the taste of revolution, by rejecting the taste of beetroot. Perhaps one day, songs will be sung about the children who stand up for their culinary preferences.
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The fight for freedom, being who you are, and your right to seek happiness in the way you want transcends borders. This is the story of Naomi. She is alive, free, and happy. But she had to fight for it. Her story is one of survival.
This story has all the elements of an Oscar-winning movie - unwavering commitment to the right values, heroic endurance amidst suffering, and a love story set during World War II. However, what makes this story better than a movie is that it is narrated by Erwin, the very son of a couple of true heroes.
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If survival is your main goal, then fear is a good advisor. However, since we hanged our spears of hunter-gatherers, maybe it would be nice to cool it off with the fearful advice. Don't get me wrong—the world can still be quite dangerous... But isn't that part of what makes life so thrilling? Let's hear what Armina (or her alter-ego, Alarmina) has to say about this.
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In the beginning was the Word, but Lara believes that that word was probably a lie. It was time that someone defended this fundamental sin, without which storytelling would be meaningless. Buckle up for a collection of 'true' stories from a professional liar.
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All of us have experienced shame at some point. It's such a painful feeling that some people wince at the mere thought of it. How cruel it is to be ashamed of enjoying ourselves, and how beautifully Danni can turn a lesson in pain.
Check Danni's show at Amsterdam Fringe in September!
https://amsterdamfringefestival.nl/the-red-shoes-2/
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Great slice-of-life stories are much like icebergs, revealing just a tiny portion of the underlying drama. The best ones barely hint at the threat of tragedy if the plot veers toward the abyss. In this episode, Irina gifts us a masterclass in suspense beneath the guise of a bittersweet coming-of-age.
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There's this fable about Thales of Miletus, who fell into a ditch because he was walking while gazing at stars. At times, it seems like artists can make the same mistake. Margo illustrates this beautifully as she recounts the time she staged an artistic performance in Amsterdam´s Red Light District.
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Today we bring you a story fresh from our Pride night. Joseph introduces us to a new, non-conventional form of therapy, with a very open-minded approach. Enjoy your Pride!
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Argentinian poem Martín Fierro says: "Siblings shall be united, for that is the prime law (...) for if they fight among themselves, the outsiders will devour them". It might be a sort of humble attempt to counteract the influence of the myth of Cain and Abel. For all of us who have siblings, it might be difficult to follow this law without first hearing a story like that of Jugal, standing together with his little brother against the world.
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Picture this: Björk's belting out tunes, an alcohol-induced marriage proposal is underway, inner monologues are louder than the music and thoughts blurt out like surprise confetti. Top it off with an awful joke about David Blaine, failing miserably to sweeten a night spent at the hospital. That was Lupe's magical evening, and yes, he gives us permission to laugh about it.
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Life is hard for a romantic in the 21st century. If you were born before Y2K, as Zoe and the mysterious writer of this copy did, you were raised to be a hardcore romantic. The rom-coms, the ballads, and even the freaking ads on TV conditioned us to long for the heart-pumping feeling of running through an airport to declare our love for someone. But times are a-changing, and romantic love is being put into question, and that's good. But what do we Millenials do with all these gooey feelings inside?
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You can either travel to see places, or to meet new people. You can also do both, but there's one of those options that's way more meaningful. Follow Marijn on his trip around Papua New Guinea and see how a sense of wonder about humans in general can lead to meeting the most interesting ones.
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What does it mean to grow up as a 'good Christian woman' when there are barely any women in the Bible to serve as role models? Cené explores this question by channelling her Sunday School teacher, who recounts the well-known story of Adam and Eve, only this time it's the honest version.
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As a rule of thumb, Disney movies might not give you the full picture when it comes to love. There's a slight chance you might miss some of the nuances of real life. Amir learned this when he had to tell his daughter about his own love story with her mother. In my book, real people are still way more interesting than 3D characters.
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So, if you have a child with a vivid imagination who loves the stage, they will turn any drama into their own, so better invest in acting classes for them. Otherwise, they might get too involved in saving Anne Frank, as Farnoosh did.
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In 2016, Başak witnessed the coup attempt and the hardening of Erdoğan's politics. She decided to flee home. But leaving, escaping and quitting are not the same thing. Sometimes the distance allows you to understand the difference.
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Phillip enrolled in a Tantra Workshop, as you normally do when you're seeking adventures. He found himself immersed in a journey of connection, not devoid of eerie coincidences and unexpected turns.
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Soula unearths the untold tale of Medusa, the woman before the monster. It was about time someone did that, and who better than an authentic Greek storyteller? A story driven by the lust of gods and kings. Soula gifts us a look into Medusa's journey: from woman to victim to weapon.
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So, if you're Indian you should pretty much own going to a meditation retreat right? I mean, you have been culturally taught what white people pay good money to learn. Rohit learned the hard way it's not exactly true. And he got a good story out of it.
Jaap is a regular on the My True Story night. He's also an accomplished musician. So when he met cinema legend Anita Ekberg, he turned it into a story, as well as a song. Of course.
Milda brings us a story about how we grow in life. From one activity to the next. And who when we get stuck all knowing Google swoops in for the rescue.
Naming a new puppy is tricky business. But how do you deal with your mother wanting to name her new dog after the new boyfriend of your ex?
Rimousky tells us the story of meeting her toxic twin. An impressive tail of Amsterdam romance, involving cigarettes, copious amounts of alcohol and a burn spot on an inconvenient place.
Esra’s second story in our audio library is the story of the bald girl, a character her Turkish mother used to tell her. A story that served her well when she grew up:
Marijn tells us the story of a one night stand with unforseen consequenses. A surprisingly touching story of love, jealousy and ultimately, growing up to be our better selves:
Abhishek is a magical storyteller. In this story he takes us to a day in which he had left everything behind. Studies, family, hometown. Even the familiarity of the earth under his feet:
Rob is a performer with an encyclopedic knowledge of music. Which is great for personal stories, because anything he remembers comes back to him with the soundrack of the times:
On our Samizdat many storytellers bring narratives of rebellion and fleeing wars. Gus brought a story of a hero not everyone would expect on this night.
From time to time comedians make a venture into the world of storytelling. Here’s Roxy JC’s first try. Since then she’s become a familiar face on the Mezrab carpet:
There isn’t quite anyone with a style that can be compared to Chidi’s. His absurd stories actually reveal a reality that goes deeper than the one we can observe:
Milda is a valued Mezrab member, who left behind a country to dive into her passion of storytelling. It’s good that the same stories can bring back to life those we left at home:
Soula brings us back to Greece. Not because that’s where her roots lie, but because that’s where she had to travel to bury her father. A precious and surprisingly funny story:
Ilya tells us a story about love that puts all of our love lifes to shame. Does anyone actually live this? Well, if there’s anyone it must be Ilya:
How does it feel indeed, when a song you hear reveals some inner truths about yourself. Listen to the warm voice of Anastasis and let him take you on a journey of self discovery:
Marijn is a big man with an even bigger heart. Here he tells us the story of a little man that for him is the biggest hero he’s ever met:
Most Amsterdammers know Farnoosh as a theater maker, less know her for her ability to speak sign language. A precious skill that made her make sense of one of the world’s strangest incidents:
Esra’s brother is a precious one. Here she tells the story of one of the most impressive days of his life, meeting a personal hero.