MIRETAGE Partner Interview: Arjen Barel on Storytelling and Minority Religious Heritage

In this partner interview, we speak with Arjen Barel, founder and director of Storytelling Centre, based in Amsterdam. He shares how storytelling can help make minority religious heritage more visible and meaningful, drawing on the organisation’s work with the Muslim community in Almere, the youngest city in the Netherlands. Arjen also reflects on the importance of personal stories in challenging stereotypes, encouraging dialogue and building a more inclusive, equal and peaceful European society.

1. What is your name and the organisation you represent?

My name is Arjen Barel, and I am the founder and director of Storytelling Centre.

2. Where is your organisation based, and what does it do?

Storytelling Centre is based in Amsterdam. We work with storytelling in both artistic and applied contexts. Through our projects, we explore the power of stories, particularly what happens when people share their experiences and genuinely listen to one another.

We believe that sharing stories is at the very heart of what makes us human. Stories help us connect, understand different perspectives and build bridges between people and communities. In a rapidly changing world, we sometimes seem to forget how essential this is for creating a more equal, inclusive and peaceful society.

3. What has been your main role in the MIRETAGE project?

Our main contribution to MIRETAGE has been exploring how storytelling can help make minority religious heritage more visible, accessible and meaningful.

Together with our Dutch partners, we decided to focus on Muslim heritage in Almere, the youngest city in the Netherlands. We collected personal stories and photographs that reflect the experiences and heritage of the local Muslim community.

The result is a beautiful collection of recorded stories and photographs, presented through a web app and an exhibition at the city's central library.

We also contributed to the project's handbook, sharing our experiences and methods to inspire others to develop similar initiatives in their own cities or regions.

4. Are you involved, or have you been involved, in any other projects or initiatives related to minority religious heritage?

While our work does not focus exclusively on religious heritage, many of our projects deal with cultural diversity, identity, inclusion and the importance of giving a voice to communities whose stories are not always heard.

Through storytelling, we create opportunities for people from different cultural and social backgrounds to share their experiences and learn from one another. In that sense, MIRETAGE fits very naturally into our broader mission.

5. Why is a project like MIRETAGE important in the current European context? What can it contribute to society?

I believe projects like MIRETAGE are particularly important in today's Europe, where we are witnessing increasing polarisation and growing divisions between communities.

Too often, people form opinions about others without really knowing their stories. By making minority religious heritage visible through personal narratives, we can challenge stereotypes, create understanding and encourage genuine dialogue.

When we listen to each other’s stories, we begin to recognise what connects us rather than what divides us. I strongly believe that this is essential if we want to build a more inclusive, equal and peaceful European society.

6. What has been the most exciting or rewarding part of the project for you?

For me, the most rewarding part has been seeing how personal stories can bring a community's heritage to life.

The collection of stories and photographs from Almere shows that cultural and religious heritage is not something abstract or distant. It is something deeply personal, carried by people and passed on through their experiences.

Seeing these stories come together in a web app and an exhibition at the central library has been particularly meaningful. It allows a wider audience to discover perspectives they might otherwise never encounter.

I also find it rewarding that our work can inspire others. Through the MIRETAGE handbook, we hope to encourage similar storytelling initiatives elsewhere in Europe.

Especially in times of polarisation, creating spaces where people can share their stories and, perhaps even more importantly, listen to each other feels more necessary than ever.