LIMBO facilitates creative workshops that center queer refugee stories, lived experience, and the co-creation of knowledge with queer racialized communities. Our work weaves together community care, collaborative research, advocacy, and peer-led organizing—building confidence, capacity, and collective solidarity. 

We envision a society where communities harmed by systemic racism reclaim space, voice, and collective agency. Our mission is to advance justice through community-led research, storytelling, and grassroots action. We create spaces where racialized, queer, and displaced people lead the work, shape narratives, and build futures on their own terms. Through public events and publications, we ensure that those closest to the issues are shaping the solutions.

Together with our collaborators, we aim to co-create meaningful knowledge about the challenges and resilience of queer refugees and the potential of engaged scholarship. We explore how research can be mutually beneficial—generating knowledge and redistributing resources between queer refugee communities, academic and art institutions, organizers, and artists. At the heart of this work is a shared commitment to holding space that is safer for queer refugee perspectives to be heard, felt, and seen.

From September 2024 to June 2025, LIMBO is generously supported by ILGA-Europe. Until June 2024, our workshops were hosted by our former partner Framer Framed. From March 2024 onwards, we will continue our work at Lola Lieven. During workshops in 2022 and early 2023, Alaaddin Ammar joined our organizing team to provide social support—bridging mental health, social care, and artistic practices.

Since June 2023, Alaaddin has also initiated Q-LIMBO: semi-public art and rave events inspired by LIMBO’s ethos that center and celebrate queer refugee communities. For clarity, Q-LIMBO is separate from our storytelling workshops—run by different organizers, with different intentions and approaches. LIMBO is not involved in planning or facilitating Q-LIMBO activities.

The workshops are facilitated by:

• Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, creative writer, artist, workshop facilitator
• Lana Jelenjev, workshop facilitator on community care, holding space / safer spaces
• Grace, space holder
• Yohannes Biru, space holder
• MirMahyar Mousavi, space holder

If you are LGBTQIA+ and have a refugee experience, you can participate in any workshop for free. Questions about the project or train tickets, you can ask: Fabian Holle (PhD researcher in this project, initiator of LIMBO, artist). For questions about Q-LIMBO art and rave events outside of our monthly workshops, you can ask: Alaaddin Ammar (artist, space holder, community organizer).

Outside the workshops, Fabian may ask participants to engage in conversations about creativity, queerness, refugees, experiences within this project or similar engagements with Dutch institutions, and life in the Netherlands. These interviews will inform Fabian’s PhD research on the role of engaged scholarship in the lives of queer refugees in the Netherlands. We aim to take the co-creative aspect of this project seriously, so we are hoping that participants will share their ideas, visions and concerns with us at any time, also outside of the interview!

In this video, we briefly explain the project and a main concept we use in our gatherings, which is 'holding space':

Workshops & Events

Creative workshops are/were given by: Alaaddin Ammar, Maha Youssef, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Sunni Lamin Barrow, Parisa Akbarzadehpoladi, Jerrold Saija, Kenza Badi, Rah Naqvi, Razan Hassan, Love Masisi, Ariya, Aminata Cairo, Colored Qollective and others. 

2022

THE ART OF RESTRAINT - rope play & consent, with Maha Youssef
Sunday, 30^th of January 2022 - 13:00h - 16:30h 

STORY CREATION, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
Sunday, 6^th of February 2022 - 13:00h - 16:00h
Sunday, 13^th of February 2022 - 13:00h - 16:00h

POETRY, with Sunni Lamin Barrow
Sunday, 20^th of February 2022 - 13:00h (together with Parisa Akbarzadehpoladi)

BIOGRAPHICAL DRAWING, with Parisa Akbarzadehpoladi
Sunday, 20^th of February 2022 - 13:00h (after Lamin Barrow) 
Sunday, 27^th of February 2022 - 13:00h 

FIMO CLAY - ancestral communication technology, with Jerrold Saija
Sunday, 6^th of March 2022 - 13:00h (together with Mala Badi)

CLOWNING, with Kenza Badi
Sunday, 6^th of March 2022 - 13:00h (together with Jerrold Saija) 

DEFIANCE DOLLS, with Rah Naqvi
Sunday, 13^th of March 2022 - 13:00h 

EXHIBITION-MAKING, with all collectively
Sunday, 20^th of March 2022 - 13:00h 

OPENING EVENT, Organised by Mama Kil representing Sehaq Queer Refugees Group 
Sunday, 27^th of March 2022 - 14:00h - 17:00h

FINISSAGE, with all collectively
Sunday, 8^th of May 2022 - 14:00h - 17:00h

SAFER SPACE RITUAL MAKING, with Sarah Tazit and Fabian Holle
Sunday, 15^th of May 2022 - 14:00h - 17:00h

COLLAGE, with Alaaddin Ammar and Fabian Holle
Sunday, 29^th of May 2022 - 14:00h - 17:00h 

PHOTOVOICE, with Alaaddin Ammar and Fabian Holle
Sunday, 5^th of June 2022 - 14:00h - 17:00h

FOOD AND STORIES, with Alaaddin Ammar
Sunday, 12^th of June 2022 - 14:00h - 17:00h

POETRY, with Sunni Lamin Barrow
Sunday, 26^th of June 2022 - 13:00h 

VU VIEWS, presentation of art works and research
Monday, 27^th of June 2022 - 16:00h - 18:00h

QUEER POETRY NIGHT, with Unwanted Words
Saturday, 6^th of August 2022 - 17:00h - 19:00h

PHOTOVOICE, with Alaaddin Ammar
Sunday, 11^th of September 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h

SOUNDSCAPES, with Razan Hassan
Sunday, 18^th & 25^th of September 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h

CONNECTING JOURNEYS, stitching timelines together with Fabian Holle
Sunday, 2^nd & 9^th of October 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h

TALANOA FORUM, with Yuki Kihara
Sunday, 16^th of October 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h 

ASH RESHTE food & stories, with Sahar Jamshidi & Hossein Razbari
Sunday, 23^rd of October 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h 

COLLECTIVE BRAINSTORM, with Noa Bawits
Sunday, 30^th of October 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h 

EXHIBITION TOUR & PAINTING, with Noa Bawits
Sunday, 6^th of November 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h 

CONNECTING JOURNEYS, stitching timelines together with Fabian Holle
Sunday, 13^th of November 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h

MAKE UP FOR THE EYES OF THE SOUL, with Love Masisi 
Sunday, 27^th of November 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h

SYMBOLS & FEELINGS, a visual journey inwards, with Ariya
Sunday,  11^th of December 2022 - 13:00h - 17:00h

END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION, organised by the LIMBO team
Sunday, 18^th of December 2022- 17:00h - 20:00h

2023 

SYMBOLS & FEELINGS, a visual journey inwards, with Ariya
Sunday, 15^th of January 2023 - 13:00h -17:00h

LIMBO queer safer celebration – secret location. 
Sunday, 22^nd of January 2023 - 14:00h - 00:00h.

RELEASING ENERGY – drawing, ink and stories with Marwa Mezher
Sunday, 5^th of February 2023 - 13:00h -17:00h 

RECYCOLOGY - upcycling clothes with Nojan & Fardad
Sunday, 19^th of February 2023 - 13:00h -17:00h 

RECYCOLOGY - upcycling clothes with Nojan & Fardad
Sunday, 5^th of March 2023 - 13:00h -17:00h 

NOWRUZ – Persian New Year celebration with Sajad, Nojan, Fardad, Ariya and others
Sunday, 19^th of March 2023 - 13:00h -17:00h (cancelled)

WORLDBUILDING - an Artifact from the Future, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev.
Monday, 25^th of September 2023 - 17:30 - 20:30

WORLDBUILDING--origin stories for an imagined world with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev.
Monday, 9^th of October 2023 - 17:30 - 20:30

MAPMAKING for an imagined world with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev.
Monday, 23^rd of October 2023 - 17:30 - 20:30

Monday, 6th of November 2023 - 17:30 - 20:30, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev.

Sunday, 10^th of December 2023 - 15:00 - 19:00, end of the year celebration

2024

Sunday, 21^st of January 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, workshop with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz.

Sunday, 28^st of January 2024 - 15:00 - 17:00, Queer Open Stage act. 6

Sunday, 18^th of February 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, workshop with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz.

Sunday, 25^th of February 2024 - 15:00 - 17:00, Queer Open Stage act. 7

Sunday, 10^th of March 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev.

Sunday, 24^th of March 2024 - 15:00 - 17:00, Queer Open Stage act. 8 

Sunday, 14^th of April 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz

Sunday, 21^st of April 2024 - 15:00 - 17:00, Queer Open Stage act. 9 

Sunday, 12^th of May 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Lana Jelenjev.

Sunday, 26^th of May 2024 - 15:00 - 17:00, Queer Open Stage act. 10

Sunday, 9^th of June 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev.

Sunday, 23^th of June 2024 - 15:00 - 17:00, Queer Open Stage act. 11 

Sunday, 7^th of July 2024 - 14:00 - 19:00, end celebration and last meeting at Framer Framed before moving to another location.

Sunday, 1^st of September 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, at VU university, Boelelaan 1105, main building

Sunday, 6^th of October 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Lana Jelenjev, Makers Unite, Krelis Louwenstraat 3, 1055 KA Amsterdam

Sunday, 3^rd of November 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Aminata Cairo, Makers Unite, Krelis Louwenstraat 3, 1055 KA Amsterdam

Sunday, 8^th of December 2024 - 14:00 - 17:00, December celebration with team, Makers Unite, Krelis Louwenstraat 3, 1055 KA Amsterdam (location tbc)

2025

Sunday, 2^nd of February 2025 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Maria Clara Jimenez Assmus, Makers Unite, Krelis Louwenstraat 3, 1055 KA Amsterdam 

Sunday, 2^nd of March 2025 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Lu Lin & Fay (Colored Qollective) at Lola Lieven, Rodenrijsstraat 43, 1062 JD Amsterdam

Sunday, 6^th of April 2025 - 14:00 - 17:00, Rafik Opti (Colored Qollective) at Lola Lieven, Rodenrijsstraat 43, 1062 JD Amsterdam

Sunday, 11^th of May 2025 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev at Lola Lieven, Rodenrijsstraat 43, 1062 JD Amsterdam

Sunday, 1^st of June 2025 - 14:00 - 17:00, with Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and Lana Jelenjev at Lola Lieven, Rodenrijsstraat 43, 1062 JD Amsterdam