BIRSEN TAŞPINAR · THE PAIN DEEP INSIDE

The Pain Deep Inside · Parents After Experiences of Racism

How do families carry the burden of not being seen or counted? In this event, parents share their daily stories of exclusion. How do they cope with these experiences, and what impact does it have on them? This is a story of pain, but also of connection: how families manage, day after day, to transform injustice into love.

What does it mean to constantly have to prove that you belong? How does it feel when your children endure the same painful experiences you once faced? In The Pain Deep Inside – Parents After Experiences of Racism, psychologist Birsen Taşpınar brings together the voices of parents of color. Parents who want to protect their children from the wounds of racism, while still carrying their own scars.

During this book presentation, Birsen Taşpınar will discuss her work with dozens of families, her years of experience in trauma counseling, and the insights she has gathered on the impact of racism on parents and children. She shares stories of exclusion, but also of resilience, love, and connection.

Program

• Poetic-Musical Interlude: Amina Belorf & Sarah De Wilde
• Conversation with Birsen, Roland Gunst, and Tuly Salumu (Part 1)
  (Focus: the personal experiences of Roland & Tuly)
• Poetic-Musical Interlude: Amina Belorf & Sarah De Wilde
• Conversation with Birsen, Roland Gunst, and Tuly Salumu (Part 2)
  (Focus: the book The Pain Deep Inside)
• Closing

About the speakers

Birsen Taşpınar is a clinical psychologist and systemic therapist. She is affiliated with the Family Studies program and research center at Odisee University College. In 2013, she debuted with Mothers of Silence. Her new book The Pain Deep Inside was published in March 2025 by EPO Publishers.

Naïma Charkaoui has worked on human rights, inequality, and racism since 2001. She led the Minority Forum for over 10 years, later worked in the field of children's rights, and is currently Head of Policy at 11.11.11. She has written two books: Racism: On Wounds and Resilience (EPO, 2019) and The Open Borders Manifesto (EPO, 2021).

Tuly Salumu is a writer and journalist. She is also a columnist for De Morgen and a guest lecturer at Wisper. Her work has appeared in De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad, Nederlandse Boekengids, recto:verso, and MO Magazine. She mainly writes about identity, intergenerational trauma, and mixed motherhood.

Roland Gunst is a Belgian-Congolese filmmaker, theater director, and visual artist. He currently works both in Belgium and abroad. He is also known by his alter ego John K Cobra, his “white identical twin.” He contributed to Birsen Taşpınar’s book in his role as a father of two children.

Amina Belôrf is a social worker and columnist. She writes poetry and prose and debuted in March 2020 with her poetry collection Without Breaking the Light. Her latest collection is Until the Water Returns. She currently tours with a poetic-musical performance together with musician Sarah De Wilde.

In partnership with Amal and EPO Uitgeverij

Photo © EPO Uitgeverij