Ahmed Zorgui (18) grew up in Palenstein and has warm memories of his childhood. He often thinks back to rapping with his friends or playing basketball together. Due to the demolition of the flats, the groups of friends fell apart. De Zoetermeerder looks back on his youth.
Ad is loading…
Ahmed grew up in the flat on Dirk van Doortogelaan together with his parents and two older sisters. Palenstein was seen as a bad neighborhood but Ahmed had the best time of his life there. “I used to sit on the bench in front of the Digros with my friends. We quarreled sometimes, but the next day we always shook hands again.”
Never talk of violence
Playing in the street until late, holding sports competitions and shopping in the evenings: Ahmed and his friends were familiar with street life. “People of different cultures lived in Palenstein. Surinamese, Moroccans, Dutch and more: there was no difference. When my parents went to work, I could go to six different houses as a child. At night I often went out on the streets. We looked up to the older boys. This included criminals and drug dealers. It was certainly a ghetto there, but work and private life were kept separate by them. We were shielded from criminal practices. There was never any violence.”
Being seen as a criminal
After the flat was demolished, all residents moved to other places in and outside Zoetermeer. Ahmed left with his family for the De Leyens district. There the family had to build a new life without the familiar Palenstein feeling of home. “A neighbor fold spit on our doorstep every day as we passed to let them know she wasn’t happy with our arrival. A neighbor regularly photographed me because he assumed I was a criminal,” says Ahmed. “Probably because I ride a new Vespa and wear a hoodie. It hurt me a lot.”
Ad is loading…
Invite local residents
Still, Ahmed and his family managed to be loved in the neighborhood. Ahmed managed to do this, among other things, by simply calling neighbors and starting the conversation. “Then I just offer my help,” says Ahmed. “For example, a neighbor’s scooter was broken. I arranged a repairman for him. I also help neighbors who have a problem with mobile phones or laptops. I’m really not a saint but I like to be there for people. My mother makes couscous and pies and invites local residents over. We have now also built up the feeling we had in Palenstein in the Leyens.”
Kids with big knives
Ahmed’s commitment to his new neighborhood is also apparent from the initiatives he has set up. He has his own studio where he prints T-shirts and hoodies. “Children and young people don’t always know how to express themselves. I had my place on the street where I would gather with friends and share things. We did this, for example, by rapping. Now I see kids with big knives because they don’t feel safe and don’t have that social circle.”
music studio
That is why Ahmed gives young people the opportunity to express their feelings with him. “Young people sometimes use quotes to express themselves such as ‘Money comes back, time does not’ and ‘I forgive people by forgetting them’. These expressions give meaning to something. That is why I print clothing with this so that these young people can put it on and feel heard.” Besides printing clothes, Ahmed also has a small music studio where he invites young people to come and rap. “I use social media to address introverted young people and tell them about my studio. Anyone who needs it is welcome.”
Ahmed’s parents support their son on all sides. “My father was always a confidant in Palenstein. He knew and helped everyone. I think I got it from him. I am very proud of him.”