Keti Koti: Bagasi – What We Carry at Theater Dakota
In the lead-up to Keti Koti, Theater Dakota is presenting a special programme on 25 June in collaboration with Movies that Matter. This evening invites us to reflect on the question: what do we carry with us? The programme includes a screening of Bagasi – What We Carry, followed by a discussion, live music, and Surinamese snacks to enjoy together afterwards. Everyone is warmly invited to watch, talk, and connect.
Please note: this event is in Dutch.
About the film: Bagasi – What We Carry
When filmmaker Emma Lesuis receives a suitcase from her father-in-law containing the archive of his grandfather, Maarten de Niet, a confronting family history unfolds. The suitcase contains photographs, political documents, newspaper articles, and a doll with two faces: white on one side and Black on the other.
Between 1926 and 1953, De Niet served as Attorney General and Acting Governor of Suriname. He was involved in the arrest of resistance fighter Anton de Kom and the confinement of trade union leader Louis Doedel in a psychiatric institution. During that same period, Emma’s Surinamese grandparents lived under his administration. Their worlds existed side by side but were divided by power and ancestry.
Emma has Surinamese roots through her mother. At a time when conversations about colonial legacies are becoming increasingly urgent, she decides to open the archive—just as she is expecting a child, in whom both histories come together. What does it mean, as a filmmaker with Surinamese roots, to investigate both the colonial past of your in-laws and your own family history? And what will her child carry forward?
About the post-screening discussion
After the documentary, Astrid Feiter of Haags Verhaal will be joined in conversation by director Emma Lesuis, psychotherapist Omar van Ommeren, and the audience.
Together, they will reflect on the themes explored in the film. What do we carry with us? What do we pass on—sometimes unconsciously—to future generations? How can we break recurring patterns? And how do we create space for both the past and the present?
We warmly encourage the audience to take part in the discussion. Visitors are therefore invited to reflect in advance on the question: what do you carry with you? What would be inside your suitcase? You may even wish to bring an object that tells something about your own story.
About the speakers
Emma Lesuis is a documentary filmmaker whose work explores personal stories that connect to broader social issues. In Bagasi, she brings together her own family history and the colonial past in a deeply personal and confronting narrative.
Omar van Ommeren is a psychotherapist who also works with the team at De Verbinders in the Moerwijk and Mariahoeve neighbourhoods, supporting residents with a wide range of issues. With Surinamese roots himself, Omar’s practice often focuses on themes such as intergenerational trauma and family history.
Astrid Feiter is the founder of Haags Verhaal, an organisation that collects the stories of The Hague’s residents and brings people together through conversation. Through events, storytelling sessions, and dialogues, she works to foster greater understanding and connection in the city. During this evening, she will moderate the post-screening discussion.
Live music & Surinamese snacks
In addition to the film screening, this evening will also feature live music in our cinema for the very first time. Before the screening, musicians Rory Ronde (guitar) and Damani Leidsman (vocals) will perform two songs specially created for the documentary.
This programme is presented by Theater Dakota in collaboration with Movies that Matter and Renate Stüger, co-founder of Stichting J&O, creator of the comic book superhero Suriman, and coordinator at Stichting Gewoon Sociaal.
This event is made possible in part by Fonds 1818.
