The Nelson Mandela Park is all about Kwaku every weekend this month. The Bijlmer festival is an important moment for many people to come together. After two years of corona, regular visitors can finally meet again.
Kwaku started out as a football tournament in 1975 and grew into a major festival in the years that followed. According to organizer Ivette Forster, it is mainly an event from the Bijlmer: “Here you have those diverse communities. Those diverse cultures are all united in Kwaku”.
The visitors also think that Kwaku is a real calling card for Zuidoost. “On a day like today you can taste and feel what Zuidoost has to offer,” says a festival-goer.
Meeting place
In addition to being a festival, Kwaku is also an important meeting place. “Some people you see really specifically on Kwaku. So that’s nice to see them again,” said one visitor. “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and now come here with my kids. It’s a real family celebration,” says Vayhishta Miskin, board member of the Zuidoost district.
Kwaku can be visited every weekend until August 7. Forster has a lot of confidence in the atmosphere at the festival: “If you want to be happy, if you want to be cheerful, if you want to enjoy yourself, then you come to Kwaku”.