Today, Monday 28 November 2022, we said goodbye to Marieke van Winden. She passed away last Wednesday after fighting an impossible illness for a year and a half. I am a former colleague of hers. Marieke was head of communications at the Africa Study Centre (ASC). She organised many great exhibitions, seminars and book reviews with the aim of translating those scientific texts and words to a wider audience. With these activities, Marieke was certainly an inspiration for the first steps of Voice4Thought. She brought artists into the ASC, and thus she was also one of the first to introduce the decolonisation agenda that is now so high on everyone’s list. Where possible, Marieke gave Voice4thought a place in her activities for the ASC. She helped us with her enthusiasm to persevere and build the organisation. It therefore made perfect sense to ask Marieke to join the first Voice4Thought board. She said “yes” and thus helped us professionalise the organisation, as it was very difficult to find enthusiastic people when we started. It really has been a decisive period for V4T and I would like to thank Marieke again for that.
Mirjam, on behalf of V4T
