“Freedom is being able to be who you want to be, really who you want to be. Regardless of your orientation, religion, origin, gender, or what you do with your body.” This is how writer Nazmiye Oral defines freedom. Since 2017, as an ambassador and screenwriter, she has contributed to Bridge to Liberation, a project that keeps the memory of Operation Market Garden alive. “It is really fantastic to be able to participate in this.”
Nazmiye Oral challenges herself with questions such as: “How do you write the story of someone who was fourteen during the war? How do you touch people with that?” Although Operation Market Garden took place eighty years ago, the theme remains relevant. “In Europe we see more and more xenophobia. That is precisely why Bridge to Liberation is so important now. I try to bridge the gap between then and now.”
Oral understands that fear of the unknown can arise when new groups of people settle. “If this fear is not recognized, it can turn into hatred. Imagine if a psychologist said: 'You have fear of strangers, that is understandable and we can work on it.' It would help a lot to acknowledge and address these fears.”
She emphasizes that collaboration takes a long time. “We have to work hard to build a future together, and for that we need a vision and a long-term plan. We must be aware that it does not happen automatically and that this process changes our identity. But if we succeed, we really will live in paradise.”
Living together in a diverse country is not always easy. Everyone has their own norms and values, which often differ. “We must meet in the middle, even though sometimes it seems like we are drifting further and further apart. Collisions can always happen, but from those collisions a diamond is created. Violence or hurting someone is not part of that.”
How can we live together in a world where people seem to grow apart? “I focus on creating the world the way I want to see it. You have a lot of freedom, provided you don't hurt others. So freedom of expression, but no expressions of violence at mosques or synagogues. Out of respect you should not provoke others. With freedom comes great responsibility.”
During Operation Market Garden there was a hard fight for this freedom. “The Jews were blamed for everything that went wrong in Europe, because of their perceived money and power. This led to dehumanization, which ultimately enabled violence.”
That is why Bridge to Liberation is so important: not to forget the war and Operation Market Garden. “I hope that every year, when people see these horrific events, people realize how terrible the war was and think: never again!
Watch Bridge to Liberation 2024 via the livestream on September 20 from 8:30 PM. Register without obligation and watch on your screen the floating stage where the artists Karsu, SEF, Jaap Reesema, Thomas Oliemans perform their enchanting performances together with Phion, orchestra of Gelderland and Overijssel