Campaign ‘Ik ben een Rotterdammer’ brings the city’s soul to the streets

ROTTERDAM – Have you spotted them yet? Since this week, the streets of Rotterdam have been filled with portraits of our fellow citizens. With the new campaign ‘Ik ben een Rotterdammer’ (I am a Rotterdammer) – a collaboration between the Municipality of Rotterdam and project Faces of Rotterdam – we celebrate the people who give our city its color.

When people mention Rotterdam, they often think of the Erasmus Bridge or the Euromast. But the city’s true icons? Those are the residents themselves. With more than 170 different nationalities, Rotterdam is a world city in miniature.

Stories behind the face

With this campaign, we bring the stories of Faces of Rotterdam from the screen to the streets. On digital screens and in bus shelters throughout the city, you see the faces of Rotterdammers with roots stretching across the globe: from Mauritius to Chile, and from Yemen to right here.

The goal? Connection. In an era where we often live past one another, ‘I am a Rotterdammer’ invites us to truly look. Behind every portrait lies a story of arrival, falling, getting back up, and above all: being proud of this city. Here, you are allowed to be who you are, without forgetting your own roots.

Collaboration

This project was realized through a close collaboration between  the Municipality of Rotterdam, and the Kloofdichters Foundation.

• Concept & Photography: Robert Tjalondo

• Interviews: Willemijn de Koning

• Campaign Management: Municipality of Rotterdam (Ron De Koning & Denise Zending)

• Design: Endure Design

View the stories online

Are you curious about the full story behind the face on the poster? On our dedicated page facesofrotterdam.nl/verhalen/, we dive deeper into the encounters and the mission of this project.

Keep your eyes open as you walk through the city. Because these are no strangers. This is Rotterdam. This is us.