By Safiya Bashir
Many of Amsterdam’s new music collectives challenging the political status quo are primarily coming together in order to celebrate inclusivity, showcase a wide range of voices and disrupt the city’s normalised power dynamics. One such platform includes Diaspora Radio, the collective bringing together communities from Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA).
Founded by Hani and Mehrun, Diaspora Radio started as a show on Echobox aiming to share and archive stories from the SWANA regions and those that have travelled to and settled in The Netherlands. “I’ve been in Amsterdam’s dance music industry for a long time and have seen my share of racism. I needed to create something where I could promote people from my community,” Hani told me.
Steppin’ Into Tomorrow is a local collective that has shifted its intentions to champion diverse spaces and challenge structures of power, privilege and exclusion. Maurice Dharampal, who’s a core member of the team, sat down with me to share how they are ensuring their events go beyond hedonism to become more intentional, political and thoughtful.
DJ duo BLACKPRINT recognised the profound impact of critically discussing women’s existence in the nightlife industry. Forming out of a need for inclusivity, Ornella and Tyra founded the collective as a response to the scene’s shortcomings and lack of women of colour.
By Safiya Bashir