Het Zwarte Schaap (HZS) presents evenings devoted to spoken word and poetry in The Hague. The aim is to give (semi) professional poets a stage in The Hague. This initiative was created to add value to the culture of The Hague by expanding the word art scene. In addition, poetry and spoken word meetings in The Hague do not have to be separated from each other. With HZS an attempt is made to share stories that you will not hear anywhere else in The Hague. Especially, Het Zwarte Schaap stimulates cultural participation because they appeal to everyone who wants to share something – to everyone who feels like a black sheep.
The name comes from the saying. Unlike the rappers, singers and dancers of The Hague, poets do not appear as often or easily in the light. For the poets and spoken word artists who see themselves as black sheep, Het Zwarte Schaap provides a platform which does not distinguish on race, sexual orientation, colour, social position or gender or anything else: all black sheep are welcome. The platform won the Audience Award 2020 of the Haagse C.