While the white Dutch take pride in the immaculate Amsterdam canal houses – once the warehouses and homes of wealthy merchants – black Dutch people like Haydie, originally from the former Dutch colony Suriname, live in far more modest neighbourhoods.

Most white Dutch people never go there. Mercedes Zandwijken wants to change that. The sociologist and psychotherapist is also a descendant of Surinamese slaves and brings together black and white people at social events.

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.