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defactoborders.bsky.social
De Facto
@defactoborders.bsky.social
Frictional States & Bouncing Borders. About unrecognized states, contested borders and micronations. Live & online http://defactoborders.org
OTD in history, 17 December 1938, a secret nazi expedition left Hamburg for #Antarctica. They set foot on Antarctica and named the area Neu Swabenland, in the part that had been claimed by Norway - as seen here on a vintage globe. Germany never advanced any territorial claims to the region.
December 17, 2025 at 8:50 PM
A 2mm hammer and sickle on this 25 kopeken coin from #Transnistria. Transnistria is a small strip of land between the Dniester River and the Moldovan border with Ukraine. It declared independence in 1990, but the UN still considers it a part of Moldova. www.defactoborders.org/places/trans....
December 16, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Pssst, alvast een klein nieuwtje: Van de Kaart komt volgend voorjaar ook naar Nijmegen, op 24 maart 2026 staan we in het heerlijke LUX (@luxnijmegen). Onder andere met Henk van Houtum, harpist Jareach Gilula, Floor Koomen, Jorie Horsthuis en Suzanne Hendriks: www.lux-nijmegen.nl/programma/va...
December 9, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Balkan choir Slavuj has been at our theatre evenings a number of times and we big fans. On December 13th, they will perform, conducted by Ivo Boswijk, at the English church in the secluded courtyard Begijnhof in Amsterdam. There are only a few tickets remaining! www.ticketkantoor.nl/shop/Slavuj2...
December 9, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Two years ago, in December 2023, President Maduro of Venezuela, organized a referendum to seek support for annexation of the area called Essequibo, a part of neigboring (ex-British) Guyana. This claim has a long history and can be traced back also on #stamps: www.defactoborders.org/places/esseq...
December 6, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Looking for a cosy get-away? De Facto is teaming up with Adwin de Kluyver and Podium Vlieland - the cutest cinema on the Wadden island of Vlieland, to organise an Off the Map filmfestival on February 20-22, 2026. Check out the arrangement: podiumvlieland.nl/bezoek/van-d.... Hope to see you there!
December 3, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Through the Prism of Borders, edited by Katia Anguelova, Angelika Burtscher and Marion Oberhofer, invites the reader to reflect on the complexity of borderlands and how they might be reimagined. Read the full review of the book by Jorie Horsthuis on defactoborders.org. #borders #borderlands #books
November 19, 2025 at 3:07 PM
De Facto Goes South! De Facto was never as close to a border as this week: on November 12, we will travel to Maastricht (NL) for our newest edition of Off the Map. Art, science, stamps and a quiz - all about borders. Join us! www.theateraanhetvrijthof.nl/voorstelling...
November 11, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Last week, Syria officialy recognised Kosovo as an independent, sovereign state - a geopolitical and symbolic shift for Damascus. This brings the total number of states who acknowledge the Republic of Kosovo to 120. Place of the week on our site! www.defactoborders.org/places/kosovo
November 6, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Geopolitics in milimetres. Just received a card from Russia with an unmistakable claim on a #postalstamp. Depicted is the Kyz-Aul Lighthouse, a peninsula on the peninsula Crimea. #postalwars #stamp
November 5, 2025 at 10:50 PM
In case you missed Off the Map in Deventer, here are some impressions. With harpist Jareach Gilula, former India correspondent Aletta André and graphic designer Floor Koomen. Moderated by Jorie Horsthuis and with a quiz by Suzanne Hendriks. Thanks Viorica Cernica for the beautiful photographs!
October 26, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Pssst, alvast een klein nieuwtje: Van de Kaart komt volgend voorjaar ook naar Amsterdam, op 8 april staan we in het heerlijke Theater De Richel. Zet alvast in je agenda en koop je kaartje via onze site of die van De Richel. Dank aan Fonds BJP en BNG Cultuurfonds. *Save the date: April 8, Amsterdam*
October 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Interested in #borders and geographical curiosities? Come to our live shows! The next one will be in Maastricht, AINSI Theatre: theateraanhetvrijthof.nl/voorstelling.... Hope to see you there!
October 9, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Het is herfstig buiten! Maar gelukkig hebben wij weer een fijne avond gepland op 8 oktober in Mimik, Deventer. Er is mooie muziek en er zijn interessante verhalen. De laatste kaartjes koop je via de site van Mimik en via 'events' op onze site defactoborders.org. Wie weet tot overmorgen!
October 6, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Komende woensdag is Van de Kaart weer in Mimik, Deventer. Met o.a. voormalig correspondent Aletta André over Kasjmir, verbindende muziek van harpist Jareach Gilula, een vleugje NUTOPIA en een bezoek aan de Westelijke Jordaanoever. Er is ook weer een quiz. Laatste kaartjes via de site van Mimik!
October 4, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Whoop whoop! @destentor.bsky.social heeft Van de Kaart als uittip. Gaat dat zien op 8 oktober in Mimik, Deventer. Kaartjes kun je kopen via hun site, of de onze. Wie weet tot daar en dan!
September 24, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Breaking: Next to Trump, also Luca has made a claim on Greenland. Let’s see how this plays out.
September 13, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Super proud to have been booked by Theater AINSI, Maastricht, to organise an Off the Map event on November 12th, 2025 and April 1st 2026. Get your tickets here: www.theateraanhetvrijthof.nl/voorstelling...
September 2, 2025 at 11:03 AM
The photo of #AlanKurdi, taken by Nilüfer Demir, went viral ten years ago today, with #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (humanity washed ashore). It's a reminder of the dangers people face when trying to reach safety, crossing the borders of the European Union. Art by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik.
September 2, 2025 at 10:54 AM
September 1, 2025 at 3:49 PM
August 26 is a national holiday in Namibia, commemorating the first day of the Namibian War of Independence, August 26, 1966. Pakistan, Turkey, and India issued "Namibia Day" stamps in 1974 and 1975 in solidarity. However, it wasn't until 1990 that they achieved widespread international recognition.
August 26, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Gespot in Mimik Deventer! Aankondiging voor het filmprogramma Over de Grens op vrijdag 22 augustus.
Wat doen grenzen met ons, zeker als ze verschuiven? Op vrijdag 22 augustus tonen we Green Border en gaat Jorie Horsthuis in gesprek met Romy van Baarsen www.mimik.nl/agenda/over-...
August 21, 2025 at 1:30 PM
This is the epic World Passport, as seen Fenix, the new Rotterdam museum about migration. It's a fantasy travel document started in 1954 by Garry Davis. There are even some countries that have let the World Passport through, like Burkina Faso, Ecuador and Togo (not an official recognition though)
August 16, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Antifaschismusplatz 2 is the (only) address in the Republik Kugelmugel, in Prater park, Vienna, Austria. It was built in the 1970s by artist Edwin Lipburger and declared a #micronation. Vienna granted it asylum. This 'Staat im Staat' is an 'Exterritorial Gesamtkunstwerk'. Citizenship costs 100 euro.
August 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
August 3rd marks the day of Independence of Niger from France, on this day 65 years ago. This stamp shows the overprinting 'indépendance 3-8-60'. Niger had issued its first stamps as an autonomous republic already the year before (marked Republique du Niger). #stamps #philately #independence
August 3, 2025 at 11:39 AM