MOHA’s log
The passage of days in The Library of Strategies for Surviving the Storm is being recorded, at breakneck speed, by use of an old fashioned typewriter. Fingers rattle across:
Yesterday was shit weather, soit was difficult to do anything and to t type a well . a lot of people come to talk to us just because of our
typemachine. it brings nostalgia to people. somehow the analog ass
aspect of igt in a time where everything is digital. some pwople
feel m ore safe about it. nevert eless it has its limit b cayse
we dont manage to type everything. Iy is so busy that it becomes
too much. we want to be more efficient and t pe when busy only thhe tools
people share with us. yet at the lib ary there is always much more happeninh
we become par t of this bigger network whic h is the street. like a web
of connection with existing initiatives, artists, people. tod ay we met Judah
who came to sit on our couhh. huda gave him tea. he is looking for a job
and was intrigued about what we do, fel t like being part of it. i told
him more about it and said it was a long duration project, and t at theræ are
different ways to be involved. he sent me his cv, i advise him to come
back other times, to hang out here so he can see how we work and to come
back for a little talk also. i also told him about the librarians, how we work
this way.
when setting up we realized that our couch, the side of it, was completely
wet because of the washing product that opens in our bag. we had to rinse
It and turn it towards the sun to dry. those are the little challenged. of
our nomad street lifestyle. it is less busy now so I have ti me
to look through the notes and write some of the tools down. it feels good
because tjere needs to be ti,e to diges also, write down, organise, curate
here . A woman comes to us v r y curious. Very qyuick she talks about
religiom. more specifically how the only way to survive is to go to the church
every sunday, read the bible on friday. she suddenly looks at me (alice)
and tells me my aura is not fgood. my ener y. she even needs to move away
from me. she comes closer to waffa to to feel her energy and her aura and
says the sime. same about huda. all od us had bad energy. she asks:
do you know how to clean? you think soap and water would clean it, I s
not true. only the church, she starts also to say what age we are, and
talk for us. i get really ann oyed and wonder why i need to be bullied like
this so i decide to stop her. i tell her actually i don’t like your aura
and i am pregnant an I don want this energy close to me. she tried to
b sweeter, said she was just curious and to go to the c hurch and left.
waffa was imoressed by how I set my boundaries.
one woman came as well, whe is an artist. botanical art and zin and a kraamzorg
she wants to write a book about the storms women go through after birth.
a d in different cultures, different ways how they deal with it. she will
come back she wants to make a zin about our prokect.
September gives you new opportunities to visit The Library of Strategies for Surviving the Storm in Amsterdam Zuidoost. On September 14, 16, 23, 24, 28, and 30, the Librarians (Iman, Hudda Al Attas, Marjorie Richards, Waffa Al Attas, Olivia Reschofsky, and Alice Pons) will talk with you about the storms raging through our time and lives.