KLAUW – Community Care is Activism

KLAUW magazine, an initiative by the KLAUW collective, is finally out to share with the queer community and beyond. Nearly two months of hard work came to its fruition during the release party September 26th at WORM — what a wonderful celebration it was! With a jam packed, sold-out programme we are happy to state that it was a successful night. The intention of KLAUW has always been to offer platform to BPOC, Queer people to share their many talents, in contrary to established institutions where it’s more difficult to get a foot in the door. We used to do this with our Queer Klub Nights at WORM, but since the arrival of covid-19, this is sadly not an option anymore.

So where do we go from here? How do we keep on creating spaces to come together and take care of each other if we cannot do this physically? What are we going to do in a few months when we have grown tired of the online meetings? We asked ourselves these questions in the process of creating the magazine. A tangible representation of the community we love so dearly to remind us of all the amazingness that is still present (even when we don’t always see it!) became our means to offer some sense of comfort in these hectic times.

The release party was a special moment for us to come together again. With the covid measurements in mind, we celebrated each other! Jill Philips was present to answer all your burning questions about life with her tarot deck, something you can still reach out to her for in her column: Ask Jill. Robin Ramos was there to share their growth as a filmmaker and gave us an insight into what motivated them to make the masterpieces ‘Grenzeloos’ and ‘de Kroon’. Nychenda Fecunda moderated an intimate Q&A with Non, Leroy Kxng and Berksun Çiçek, three generations of people who have organised within the community that shared their blessings, lessons and tips for people to take inspiration from. The live-painting by Jayda Reeberg and Faria van Creij-Callender, two brilliant, Black and Queer artists, left us in awe and talking about their individual incentives to create their astonishing work.

It took a whole village to create this magazine. From editors to artists, from community organizers to graphic designers. The best-case scenario would have been to celebrate it with the entire village and beyond, but sadly and logically this wasn’t possible. If you couldn’t make it, worry not. All the artists that performed during the release event, are prominently present within the magazine. KLAUW collective looks back on this evening as one where we could bring a portion of the community together, even for just a moment, and in times like these, we couldn’t ask for more. We want to thank WORM for making the magazine and release party possible, the community for supporting us every step along the way and all the people who showed up Saturday and shared this small moment of celebration with us.

If you haven’t got your copy yet, keep an eye on KLAUW’s website! A SECOND RELEASE of the KLAUW MAGAZINE is on the way very soon! https://www.instagram.com/klauwcollective/

For now, we hope you all enjoy your read and that you will stay safe and healthy.

Until the next one,

Love

KLAUW Collective