First Man: A Personal Journey of Identity

What if your child asks if their family will be expelled from the country? What if not only you but also the next generation has to wonder: do I truly belong here? Theater maker and master storyteller Sadettin Kırmızıyüz opens his new series 'A Kind of Dutchman' with 'FIRST MAN,' a personal and powerful solo performance examining how identity impacts generations. Through humor, vulnerability, and sharp societal observations, he explores how the traumas and dreams of one generation affect the next and whether having a migration background will ever stop being a challenge. The day after the 2023 parliamentary elections, Sadettin finds himself in the kitchen with his ten-year-old son, apprehensive about the election victory of the PVV and fearing that his grandparents may be expelled due to their Muslim identity. Despite his own worries, Sadettin reassures his son, saying, 'We belong here, even with a last name that doesn't sound Dutch. No matter what happens, we remain.' Thus, his son, the first Kırmızıyüz of mixed descent, goes to bed feeling reassured while Sadettin lies awake all night. How did we end up here? After years of confronting xenophobia and discrimination, how can his ten-year-old son already face similar challenges? The Kırmızıyüz family speaks multiple languages, celebrating Christmas, Ramadan, Easter, Eid, and Sinterklaas with joy. When politicians discuss integration problems among people with a migration background, Sadettin feels it doesn't apply to them. They are doing well, right? Or, does his son need to make extra efforts because his grandfather once migrated?