“When I was in the car on my way to Delfshaven and saw two boys walking with the same hairstyle as me, I thought: this is where I belong. This is my city,” Diana says about her first time in Rotterdam. Diana, who was born in Lomé, Togo, was only two and a half when she moved to the Netherlands with her Dutch mother and Togolese father. After growing up in smaller villages and medium-sized towns, she finally found a place where she feels at home in Rotterdam.
“We left when I was very young. I went back once, in 1987. After that, I wandered around, living in small villages in the provinces of Overijssel and Brabant. In 2014, I ended up in Rotterdam with my boyfriend at the time. And I knew immediately: this is the city where I need to be.”
Rotterdam gave Diana something she missed elsewhere: recognition. “In Zwolle, people always wanted to touch my hair or take pictures with me. Here, I felt like part of the crowd. I blend in, and that gives me peace.”
Different backgrounds, hanging out together
What immediately struck Diana was the mix of cultures. “I loved cycling through the city and suddenly seeing a street full of Cape Verdeans making music and eating together. I wasn’t familiar with that. But it felt good.”
She particularly appreciates how young Rotterdammers from different backgrounds get along together. “It’s no longer about color or origin, but simply about the fact that you live here and grow up together. I think that’s beautiful.”
Rotterdam mentality
Rotterdam taught Diana to be more assertive. “The city is very straightforward. I had to get used to that at first, but I actually like it. You know immediately where you stand. It has made me stronger.”
Still, she also sees the downside. “The directness can sometimes come across as rude. When you almost hit someone on your bike and they immediately hurl an insult at you, that was hard to swallow. But I’ve learned to set my own boundaries more clearly.”
African roots, Rotterdam soil
Although Diana left Togo at a young age, she feels that her African background continues to influence her life. “My father was an artist. I grew up surrounded by color, and you can see that in the things I create myself. There’s also an African way of thinking that resonates with me: the idea that we have twelve senses—six physical and six inner ones. For me, life is not only about what you can touch, but also about what you can feel and know.”
A nomadic soul
Although Rotterdam became her home, Diana also feels like a nomad. “Maybe I’ll move away again someday, maybe I’ll seek more peace in nature. But I also know that Rotterdam will always be the place where I can find inspiration. The museums, festivals, the energy—it’s in my heart.”