“I saw so much stuff for my hair that I couldn’t find in Limburg that I thought: this is where I need to be!” says Abigail, known to some Rotterdammers as Alderman Norville. She came to Rotterdam around ’96 from northern Limburg, where she was born. “Because my boyfriend was studying here. Apart from the things with hair stuff, I also loved the food stores. People of fewer kinds of nationalities live in Limburg. There you find more people from Indonesian and Moluccan backgrounds, so also Indonesian and Moluccan stores. There were few people from the Caribbean so also few Caribbean stores.” She discovered a difference not only in the shops, but also in how other people in Rotterdam saw her. “In Limburg, I was always the darkest person but not in Rotterdam. Here, I was sometimes questioned about my origin, also by black people. Some then asked me whether I was black or white and said I had to choose. I hadn’t experienced that in Limburg. Then I realised that there is not just one colour apart from white, but that there are also differences. I found that quite complicated. And there were discussions about types of hair. Many people of colour grow up with the idea that frizzy hair is bad. And my hair was quite smooth if you look at it from a black perspective. But from a white perspective, I have a lot of curls again. Those different ways of looking at things were strange to me, though.”
Yet she very quickly felt at home in Rotterdam. “‘I lived in a student dorm, then you’re with the same people in the same atmosphere… Anyway, I went regularly to Nighttown,” she laughs.
No equal opportunities
Abigail Norville is a daughter born out of love between her mother from northern Limburg and her father from Barbados. “My father went to serve for the British Army around the age of 18 or 19; Barbados was still a British colony then. He was then stationed in Germany, near Roermond. That’s where my mother lived and that’s where she went out. As did the soldiers. So, that’s how they got to know each other.” Back then, a missed couple was not as obvious as it is now. “For a black man to fall in love with a white woman, in white Limburg, when you don’t have a good income and don’t have good papers yet, is not very easy. My father is also an intelligent man. When you come to a new country, you often start at the bottom of the ladder to work yourself up, even if you can do more. That does do something to your self-esteem. That wasn’t easy for him.”
Fortunately, times have changed. “Still not everyone gets the same opportunities all the time. But I do want to remain hopeful and positive. So for example, I do raise my children with the idea that they are allowed to be there and contribute something. I don’t really teach them to look out in the world. I try to give them more skills to sustain themselves in this difficult world.”
Rotterdammer, Baiana ánd Limburger
Her background from Barbados is very much her own. “From home, I was taught that we are allowed to express our opinions. Also, the prime minister of Barbados is outspoken. And colourful clothes, which I see in my aunts and myself, and a colourful interior. And of course Caribbean cuisine; there is always chicken in my kitchen, for instance. But I also like and eat Limburg flan and understand the Limburg dialect.”
Ultimately, this creates a mixed identity. “That consists of so much… I feel Rotterdammer, but when I am in Barbados, I also feel at home, I feel they are “my people” and it is my place. When I am in Limburg, I feel the same and understand their dialect. I find it very valuable that I can feel at home in different places.”
Out of your bubble
She would therefore advise newcomers to Rotterdam to get to know other people from different places in addition to the language. “Follow a study or do volunteer work in the neighbourhood where you live. And don’t only join an association that is involved with your country of origin, because then you will get in or stay in contact with people you actually already know.” For instance, she herself was involved in the founding of the hockey club in Feijenoord. “Hockey is known as an ‘elite sport’ and Feijenoord is not known as an ‘elite place’. I came across people coming to hockey lessons without having had breakfast. I used to be able to think that was stupid. But I discovered that not everyone has the same life as you. I learnt that some people struggle to take their child somewhere on time with a full stomach. Now I know that these people probably didn’t have enough time or money to take care of that. So I think it’s useful to know how others live. So step out of your bubble for once!”
Rotterdam as an example for the world
In Rotterdam, too, she still sees many “bubbles” in different neighbourhoods. “Yes, I still see separate worlds. But is that bad? All the world consists of separate worlds, they’re called countries. I think things are pretty okay and not as bad as some would have us believe. Especially when I look at the new generation; they live more diverse lives than ever. For instance, my son asked if I wanted to fast for a day during Ramadan and a friend invited him back for the festive ending of the ramadan. And now daily in my work, I see all the people trying to do good for the city, shoulder to shoulder. They really look at how we can help each other. So I think Rotterdam is the example for the rest of the country and hopefully the world.”