A conversation about what community culture can teach us with voices from Ruigoord, Boom Festival and indigenous wisdom.
Community is something many of us long for, but what does it actually ask of us? Drawing on lived experience from Ruigoord, Boom Festival, and indigenous tradition, this conversation explores the values, practices, and ways of relating that help make genuine belonging possible.
Aja Waalwijk was present at the occupation of Ruigoord in 1973 and has been a participant in Ruigoord's Poets' Circus from the very beginning. He initiated the annual Saturday Landjuweel Sculpture Route, initiated and co-organized ten symposiums on Free Cultural Spaces, and organized several international ABG journeys from Ruigoord. He also co-organized the annual Paradiso performances, along with many other cultural initiatives.
Artur Mendes is co-director of Boom Festival and Being Gathering in Portugal. With a background in social and organizational psychology, culture management, and regenerative community design, he has spent decades exploring how festivals can foster lasting cultures of participation, shared values, and belonging. In this conversation, he brings the perspective of a contemporary intentional community that continues to evolve through collective stewardship.
Carola Esparza is a Wisdom Keeper sharing Indigenous perspectives. She is of Mapuche ancestry and born in Chile; with a mixed cultural background shaped by colonial history, her path is connected to Indigenous traditions and teachings that emphasize relationship with the Earth, reciprocity, and community.
Jinny Thielsch has lived in Ruigoord since 1987 and was married to Ruigoord co-founder Gerben Hellinga until his passing in January 2026. Together they have a son and a grandson. She combines making art with work as a Feng Shui consultant, astrologer, and energy worker. But the most important part of her life is being part of the fascinating — ever-changing yet at the same time stable — community of Ruigoord and beyond.
Jonathan van Duijn is a storyteller and co-founder of the Kosmisch Wilgenportaal, a stage, community and gathering place within Ruigoord's festival landscape. Representing the next generation, he explores how the values of freedom, imagination, and community can continue to evolve. As moderator, he invites both the panel and the audience into a shared inquiry: How do we belong?