Jos Damen in 11 books and films!

To mark the retirement of the ASCL's Head of the Library, Documentation and Information Department, Jos Damen, on 27 March, the staff of the Library and Marleen Dekker, director of the ASCL, pay tribute to Jos with the help of a book or a film they associate him with: Jos Damen in 11 books and films!

Ursula Oberst

Le bonheur de lire, ou, Le combat d’un bibliothécaire guinéen (The joy of reading, or, The struggle of a Guinean librarian) comprises a selection of articles on the importance of reading, books, and libraries written by the Guinean librarian Walaoulou Bilivogui. The texts were published in the local press between 1986 and 2014. Bilivogui highlights the importance of choosing books and sharing readings, and he offers practical advice for running a reading club. He explains how to use a library and stresses the importance of the library as a tool for development. He also describes and deplores the state of libraries (particularly that of the National Library) and archives in Guinea. He emphasises the importance of a library network worthy of the name and makes proposals for a book policy. Finally, he assembles quotes about books, the art of reading, and the role of libraries.
Walaoulou Bilivogui and Jos Damen have a lot in common: they are both book lovers, avid readers, authors of countless articles on libraries and librarianship, promoters of reading and open knowledge, and, above all, great advocates campaigning to save libraries from budget cuts, loss of staff, or even closure. I can't imagine a more appropriate title for a book about Jos Damen than Le bonheur de lire, ou, Le combat d’un bibliothécaire hollandais (The joy of reading, or, The struggle of a Dutch Librarian). Thanks for fighting, Jos!

Machteld Oosterkamp

When I think of Jos and which book to associate him with, the first book that comes to mind is ‘s Heeren slaaf, het dramatische leven van Jacobus Capitein (The Lord's slave, the dramatic life of Jacobus Capitein) by Henri van der Zee (2000). Capitein was an African who ended up in Leiden in the 18th century and was the first black person to graduate from Leiden University, with a thesis on why it is permissible from a Christian perspective to enslave black people. Jos has devoted several articles to Jacobus' life, among others in Top 450 Leiden University, Dutch History Today and the Walking Guide to African Leiden. Just recently, Jos told the story of Capitein in Mare. Library visitors were also made aware of Henri van der Zee's book. Jos has always been looking for ways to connect Africa to Leiden.

Joris Martens

The story of the book that I have chosen, starts in Jos’ old office. The first time I stepped inside, I was amazed by the piles of papers and boxes stacked high. You were working, seemingly unbothered, in the middle of the chaos, an image I won’t soon forget. From one of those many boxes came the book I write what I like by Steve Biko, which you happily gave away. I have chosen the book not so much for its content - even though it is powerful in its own right - but for the title. You too wrote what you liked, followed your curiosity and discovered value in unexpected places. The stories you found were to be shared, whether it was when guiding people around the library or in one of your many articles and booklets, but above all on Wikipedia. With a sharp eye for opportunities, you always found ways to shine a light on the library and its collection. Some of those stories we’ve heard a few times by now, but I’m sure they will be missed. Wishing you all the best in the next chapter of your life, and keep on writing what you like! 

Mma Precious Ramotswe, the main character of the fun novel series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, starts up a detective agency in Botswana using the heritance from her father. Although she also solves mysteries and has many adventures, she feels that in order to do her job well, she needs to know about people, and the novels are a playful mix between puzzling about cases and her interactions with the different people that she meets. The job requires her to be a people’s person as well as having an inquisitive nature.
The same can be said about our Jos. There is an incurable love for puzzling out problems and the same optimism and open-ness of personality.  They also share a warm heart and similar moral values and although there is naturally a world of difference in their circumstances, this humorous series is right up his street.

Marleen Dekker

The book On a bicycle across the Sahara and beyond. A report from a journey through Africa in 1980 by Jacek Herman-Izycki symbolises Jos’ warm and welcoming ambassadorship for the collection in the African Library. Jos took time. For everyone. From a singular one-time visitor or donor who has something ‘on offer’, to groups of students from Leiden or afar and high profile guests. 
This is a travel story describing a 1980 bike track from Algiers through the Sahara to Nigeria and then through Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Uganda to Sudan. When the book was donated to the African Library, Jos carried a pile of other travel accounts. Showing the donor how this travel account enriched the collection and emphasising how besides an interesting travel account with beautiful photographs, it is above all a valuable historical source documenting the Zeitgeist in the region.
Jos’ personal approach and eye for ‘treasures in the collection’ made for memorable encounters and exchanges. When grand dame Graça Machel visited the Library with her granddaughter in 2023 on the occasion of her honorary doctorate at Leiden University, Jos and his team prepared a small exhibition. The pamphlets published by the Mozambican Liberation Front caught the eye of Machel. What followed was an intimate exchange between a grandmother and granddaughter on the Mozambican struggle for independence.

Pepler Head

Growing up in Namibia, Hendrik Witbooi was always an extremely present, but peripheral figure in my life. Adorning the Namibian Dollar bank notes with his iconic portrait, I never really reflected much on this enigmatic figure who played such a pivotal part in the history of Namibia. Much to my surprise, I encountered him once again, a little farther afield than expected, in the Netherlands. When I think of what book I would most associate with Jos Damen, my mind immediately goes to Ik ben Hendrik Witbooi by Conny Braam, as it was a topic that we discussed. Here was a man who not only showed interest in Hendrik Witbooi, but knew a lot about his life. In many ways, this showed me a great deal about the person that Jos is, inquisitive, enquiring and always wanting to learn more about people, places and everyone he encounters.
 

Elvire Eijkman

This is an item which content-wise I do not associate at all with Jos, but in another sense, I do! Les deux visages d'une femme bamiléké (The two faces of a Bamileke woman) is the second documentary film made in 2016 by Cameroonian Rosine Mbakam, who left her country when she was twenty-seven. The film is an account of her journey back home after having lived in Europe for seven years. It shows her reunion with her mother and aunts and focuses on the daily life of the women in the village of the ancestors, as well as on the compound of the family house in Yaoundé. With poetically filmed images, Rosine Mbakam, now a mother herself, shares with us her new view on the women of her community.
How did this film by a young, then unknown, female filmmaker end up in the library collection of the African Studies Centre? Here Jos’ view on heading the ASCL library comes in. I first saw the film at the Afrika-Film Festival in Leuven and met the filmmakers. From them, we obtained a DVD-copy of the film. Jos did not only support my visits to Leuven and other film festivals, but also gave my colleague and myself all the freedom needed to develop the often unique, broad and diverse collection that characterizes the library of the ASCL!

Germa Seuren

A book that reminds me of Jos Damen is the volume A Window on Africa that I co-edited with Fenneken Veldkamp on the celebration of the 75^th anniversary of the African Studies Centre. It contains Jos’ speech reflecting on the history and future of the library, as always stressing the importance of Open Access, and mentioning one of his own projects: a book on the photographs taken by Roel Coutinho during the national liberation struggle in Guinea-Bissau which were published on Wikimedia Commons. It also contains an overview of the library’s exhibition of special items from the collection, of which Jos picked a number: the Somali translation of Animal Farm, which he always mentioned in library tours; a map of Eritrea, representing his love for maps; and the Sjoerd Hofstra archives, from which many photographs are available on Wikimedia. On a more personal note, it reminds me of his style of management in asking me to edit the book: never putting pressure but always trying to let staff work on tasks they enjoyed. For the exhibition, Jos took it upon himself to have African-print pillows made, and was busy negotiating with the tailor and driving his car filled with pillows back and forth. These pillows now fit beautifully in the new African Library, reminding us of what he called his ‘laatste kunstje’ (last trick): the move to Herta Mohr.

Edith de Roos

Jos, you have worked in Leiden libraries for many years. The last 18 years in the library of the African Studies Centre Leiden, with much dedication and enthusiasm. Enjoy your retirement! You will now have much time to visit many libraries all around the world. For inspiration, see the book De bibliotheek: hoogtepunten uit de wereldgeschiedenis, (or: The library: a world history), a book that simultaneously appeared in several countries, by W.P. Campbell.

Heleen Smits

‘Every reader his or her book’ is Ranganathan's second law of Library Science. Jos likes to think in terms of books for readers and he is good at it, but which book suits him best? One that I remember him being particularly happy with is Totems of Uganda: Culture Embracing Nature, Buganda edition by Taga F. Nuwagaba, a large-format book with beautiful paintings of animals that our library received as a gift about 10 years ago. It is believed that totem traditions in Uganda existed long before Kabaka Kintu, who is generally considered the first ancestor of the Baganda and founder of the Buganda Kingdom, developed them into a social system in the 13th century. Buganda totems are not worshipped but are symbols that represent groups of people with common distant ancestors: your totem determines which clan you belong to. What struck Jos so much in this book? Apart from the dedication with which the paintings were made, this could certainly be it: the historical perspective and the authors' aim that cultural knowledge not be lost. Totems have different meanings in different parts of the world. Among the Baganda, they do not refer to characteristics attributed to the animals. But if, nevertheless, I were to ask myself that question, which animal...? Civet cat, jackal, black ant, pangolin, otter, sheep, buffalo, lion, to name a few? I choose the lion, not because Jos sees himself as king, but because he has fought like a lion for our library. Thank you so much for that!

Gerard van de Bruinhorst

Early in my library career I honoured a book suggestion proposed by a senior researcher from a publisher unknown to me: Books LLC. The title and description seemed interesting enough and certainly fitting the collection profile of the African Studies Centre Library: 20^th Century National Presidents in Africa. Although the price was anything but cheap, the scope of over 500 pages seemed to justify its purchase.
On arrival of the copy however, I was disappointed when I realised it was ‘just’ the printed content of  a random collection of Wikipedia entries. The introduction suggests that this print copy is the paper equivalent of the online edition: “Think you can improve the book? If so, simply go to the online version and suggest changes. If accepted, your additions could appear in the next edition!” Our meticulous-as-ever cataloguers added a warning: “The online edition of this book is part of Wikipedia, a web-based encyclopedia, and may have been updated since print publication.”
When I reluctantly confessed my costly mistake, Jos’ reaction baffled me: apparently you loved the ‘misfit’ and you embraced the weird products discarded by many ‘serious’ librarians. When we got to know each other better we discovered common ground in the embracing of  these crossovers, the books which are in Victor Turner’s terms ‘betwixt and between’,  being neither one nor the other. For a long time a specimen of Michael Mandiberg's art project (see video below) in which he printed 1% of Wikipedia, proudly was on top of Jos’ impressive paper-piled desk. Dear Jos, your refreshing ideas how sometimes, (at first sight) the most unlikely bedfellows could pollinate each other and lead to new and inspiring ideas, will be a lasting memory. Thanks to you I will continue to be on the look-out for (to use the words of Vladimir’s Vysotsky’s biography) ‘Hamlet with a guitar’.