Nightclub De School in West will open its doors again in September after two years. The club in the old school building on Jan van Breemenstraat closed in June 2020 due to the pandemic, the financial situation and, as it turns out, the “justified criticism” about the lack of diversity.
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In the summer of 2020, a discussion broke out about a lack of diversity around the nightclub. The club did post a message online about reopening the restaurant, but did not post a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter protests.
“The organization has received a wave of justified criticism from its community and artists after they
mishandled communications during the Black Lives Matter protests,” the club wrote in a press release. “Unstructured and misplaced communication efforts, doorstep incidents, staff mismanagement were the symptoms of a lack of structure, diversity and accountability.”
New director
The management of De School therefore decided to keep the doors of the club closed until the problems were fully in sight, discussions had been held with the employees, artists and the community, and a full restructuring had taken place. To that end, the club hired a new director.
“There was a tremendous need to dig deep to uncover issues, create structure, have painful yet healing conversations, and create an environment of trust for our employees, visitors, artists and everyone else who is part of this. place,” said new director Erdal Kiran.
The nightclub can still keep its doors open for sixteen months, the lease expires in January 2024 and a new extension is no longer possible. De School will be open to the public again from 9 September.
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