This Book is a Love Letter to the Netherlands

In 2017, two foreigners, myself Sunni Lamin Barrow, and my dear friend Laima Kuriene, found ourselves in the Netherlands, drawn by chance and held by wonder. What began as a simple meeting grew into an artistic kinship, shaped by a country that both challenged and embraced us.

As we learned to belong, to listen, and to change, the Dutch landscape became our quiet companion, offering solace, stillness, and a reminder to look closer. Through two lenses and two hearts, we gathered what we saw and felt: the light, the distance, the silence, the longing.

The result is this book, a poetic and photographic love letter to the Netherlands. A tribute to its quiet majesty, and the unexpected tenderness with which it holds those who call it home.

There are only twelve copies, not for sale. If you feel drawn, you’re invited to make a small donation toward my research in spoken word theatre through the “Support My Practice” page. In return, I’ll meet you for a drink or send a copy, with gratitude and a piece of this shared love.

In 2022–23, I created a spoken word theatre piece called A Fist of Tongues. It was a round-table conversation with myself across time, the past, present, and future. A space to speak out silences, fears, joy, and the weight of being in-between: queer, African, and always navigating the edges, seeking understanding, connection, and the tenderness that comes from being fully seen.

This little booklet grew from that performance. It carries the poems, echoes of stories, and traces of moments that lived on stages around the Netherlands for two years. This book is not for sale. It is a small offering, a keepsake, a gesture of my gratitude, and a way to share a piece of this journey with you.

If you feel moved to support my work through the “Support My Practice” page, I will send a copy your way. This is a token of thanks, a piece of that conversation, and a reminder that the work we make is never ours alone. It lives between us, in the spaces we share.

Hold it. Read it. Let it speak. And let’s live with the comfort of words. Love and Light, Sunni x Hollandse Luchten