Chapter 2

Proeftuin ABC Huis in De Mare

150 years of Indian immigration festively commemorated

Early 2023, colleagues from the Alkmaar De Mare library met a group of Indian women who wanted to organize a commemoration of 150 years of Indian immigration in the Netherlands. As a library, we made our expertise available and supported the ladies and their Indian working group Pehchan in organizing the commemoration.

It was not only Hindus who boarded the boat in India to Suriname, there were Christians and Muslims too. That is why since 1947 the ethnic group in Suriname has often been referred to as Hindostani (and not Hindustani).

The initiators and their Pehchan working group wanted to put Indian culture and their past in the spotlight during this commemoration and create an opportunity where everyone could become acquainted with this culture. This resulted in a festive commemoration on Saturday, June 10, that was open to everyone. The occasion included delicious snacks, drinks, music, dance and stories that attracted a diverse audience. Mayor Anja Schouten joined in for a dance. There was a lot of media attention for this activity, which was of great importance to the I Indian community in Alkmaar, because of the appreciation of Indian culture and history.

Lecture by former NOS correspondent Tim de Wit

Every weekday morning from 11 am to noon, local residents can visit the Alkmaar De Mare library for a cup of coffee or tea and a chat, like a coffee morning. A permanent group of participants has now emerged who in turn extend a warm welcome to new visitors. Our colleagues in De Mare too regularly chat with visitors to hear what is going on in the lives of the local residents living near the branch. During these coffee mornings, the participants came up with the idea of organizing an activity with Tim de Wit, former NOS correspondent in the United Kingdom. This is in response to his recently published book Wankel Kingdom, about his experiences in the United Kingdom and Brexit. A lecture was organized together with the Alkmaar Bookstore Van der Meulen's. That turned out to be a fantastic sold-out evening, with everyone hanging on the speaker's every word and with plenty of opportunity to ask questions. The audience was diverse and ranged from regular library visitors to local residents who normally do not or hardly visit the library. We are proud of the way this idea came about and the way in which the library could play a role in this for the local residents of the neighborhoods.

Workshop ABC Huis

Workshop ABC Huis is the workshop where LANGUAGE and TALENT come together.

On October 30 and 31 we started the first two pilot series of the Workshop in Overdie. One series consisted of four meetings in which a group of twelve to sixteen children aged 4 to 8 years met up in the library. At the Workshop we work on increasing vocabulary through fun and talent. This included working with art. In the library the children were told a story and listened to a song. The children then went to the community center to translate what they had heard and experienced into art, under the guidance of an Artiance teacher. While the children drew or worked with Ecoline, paint or clay, there was room for the library consultant to talk to the parents. These meetings focused on the importance of reading to increase vocabulary and the question of what parents can do themselves at home.

Dag & Dauw

Affordable cultural activities and meetings have been organized for several years now under the name of Dag & Dauw and can be attended by everyone aged 60 and over. The volunteers of the three neighborhood teams Oudorp, Alkmaar Centrum and Alkmaar De Mare organized a total of thirty Dag & Dauw meetings in 2023. These were held alternately in the Oever community center, Artiance, Alkmaar Centrum Library and the library in De Mare.

Each neighborhood team includes a coordinator from ABC Huis. These three coordinators met three times this year to coordinate the program and PR.

In 2023, Dag & Dauw again offered a wide variety of activities, such as lectures, painting and writing activities. As in previous years, all activities were well attended.

See www.dagendauw.nl