From Zuid-as to Ramses

On Saturday, November 22, a beautiful sunny day in Amsterdam, the volunteers from Zuid gathered at the familiar desk of the Concertgebouw to be welcomed by the staff of Vrijwilligers Centrale for the annual appreciation day for volunteers in Zuid.

Flora Breemer addressed the lovely people from Zuid. She spoke about the importance of looking out for one another, about how valuable it is to keep the conversation going, and about safeguarding communities in a time when conflicts around the world leave people anxious and sad.

This year featured a new element in the program: former Parool journalist Marcel van Engelen, the author of the book ‘De Stad’, came to talk about the recent developments in Amsterdam. In a short span of 30 years, enormous changes have taken place in Amsterdam – the planned financial center of the city was not realized at ‘t IJ, as originally intended. Instead, a massive skyline has developed at the Zuidas. Station Zuid WTC is an important gateway to the city. He also spoke about the importance of civic resistance against the municipality’s plans – there is no highway along the Nieuwmarkt, and the original buildings on the Kadijken have remained intact.

Cor Bakker and Maarten Heijmans then treated the visitors to a special preview of their program ‘Ramses enzo’, with which they will tour the Netherlands in 2026. The songs of Ramses Shaffy, masterfully interpreted by Maarten Heijmans, were sung along loudly. Cor Bakker, for whom a piano holds no secrets, gave his own twist to the well-known melodies. In addition to Shaffy’s songs, pieces by Herman van Veen and Japanese composer Sakamoto were also featured. The final song, ‘We zullen doorgaan’, provided yet another goosebumps moment. Afterwards, the volunteers enjoyed a drink in the foyer. The trio of Youk de Haan provided musical accompaniment for the afterparty.

Beautiful photos were taken by VCA media photographer Kitty de Jong. Below is a small selection. All photos can be downloaded viathis link.