66th Castle Boat

Description

The Kasteelboot is a friends’ initiative that has sailed in the Amsterdam Pride since 2005. Our crew are always the main act on our boat. This year’s theme is UNITY, which we’ve expressed as our boat theme: WE ROAR IN UNITY! Our boat is a exuberant jungle of green and pink, with a large pink lion’s head with golden mane at the bow. The lion roars to be heard. Roaring is our voice. Against exclusion. Against silence. Against the idea that we should make ourselves smaller. On board we celebrate diversity: animal prints, gold, people and identities that together form one community. For us, unity does not mean being the same, but daring to be different together. In the jungle no two animals are alike, yet together they create a beautiful, colourful ecosystem. It’s the same in our community and on our boat: strong through diversity and full of beautiful birds of paradise. Everyone on board wears their own print, has their own story, their own form of splendour, yet we form a single whole. We roar because love must be visible! We roar because silence is not an option! We do not roar to fight, but to exist and to celebrate! We roar because freedom and diversity must be protected! But most importantly: We roar TOGETHER. WE ROAR IN UNITY!