After congratulations and prizes for deserving Emmen residents, Mayor Eric van Oosterhout also made a serious contribution on Friday evening during his municipality’s New Year’s party.
“It is shocking that in a rich country like the Netherlands the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Ter Apel leaves far too many municipalities indifferent. Solidarity has become a pale concept due to the actions of renouncing municipalities,” Mayor Van Oosterhout snapped in his closing speech.
With our feet off the floor and a drink in our glasses, there seemed to be no problem at the start of 2024 in Emmen. Yet Van Oosterhout did not want to close his eyes to what was going on outside the festivities in the Atlas Theater.
In trouble
This week, almost all of his 341 colleagues are standing somewhere in the country toasting the new year. Not without exception with weighty reflections on world suffering and with the release of local test balloons. This group of citizen fathers and mothers certainly includes 45 so-called refusing municipalities and many more municipalities that receive or house too few asylum seekers. According to Van Oosterhout, this leaves Ter Apel and the border village of Nieuw-Weerdinge in dire straits.
“I think something of municipalities that consistently turn away from the question of doing their share in the reception of refugees for fear of support,” Van Oosterhout said. In Southeast Drenthe his message was received as God’s word to an elder, but the question remains whether it arrived elsewhere in the country.
The care close to home is mainly with the persistent nuisance safelanders in Nieuw-Weerdinge. Van Oosterhout: “I mainly try to connect in the village. I understand the frustrations, I am trying to take appropriate measures and prevent further escalation. Sometimes it helps, but I am very concerned about nuisance and incidents that undermine support. Yet I believe that the majority of Dutch people think much more nuanced than talk shows or polls would have us believe.”
Orange glow and pink cloud
However, it remained just that one harsh note towards the outside world. The municipality also wanted to convey a proud and joyful atmosphere at the party with a bright orange glow because of the approaching large family visits on King’s Day.
The sweetest news came at the end of the evening from the mayor himself. He hopes to become a grandfather to his first grandson in the spring and wanted to share that with everyone.
Bouke is Emmenaar of the Year
Bouke Scholten is the twentieth winner of the honorary title Emmenaar of the Year. The 42-year-old singer has had a top year musically. De Bucket Elvis won the SBS6 show with his The Elvis Matters Band Tribute, Battle of the Bands . Zoa ls in the best days of his idol, fans throughout the Netherlands also swooned when hearing his sweet voice.
Bouke is not only loved in his own Emmen for his music, but also because of the proud way in which he speaks about the municipality in national media.
Eight years ago, Bouke was also in the running for the prize, which was won at the time by colorful hotelier Hans ten Cate. This year, the singer defeated the singer in an online vote Bucket Courant the top trainer Joseph Oosting and language hero Dennis Bos.
This time the ceremony was also eagerly awaited far beyond Emmen. Bouke himself was in Roosendaal in Brabant on Friday evening for a performance and fellow candidate Joseph Oosting followed the results from the Spanish fishing village of Olivia, where the successful trainer is at a training camp with his FC Twente. The third contender Dennis Bos, who as a language hero spoke openly and honestly about his struggle with low literacy, proudly walked through the theater in Emmen itself.
Culture Prize 2023 goes to Hilde Trip
Visual artist Hilde Trip received a trophy and 1000 euros for her work at the New Year’s party. The jury praises her special visual compositions of flowers and other natural elements that she finds in nature.
Trip grew up in New Amsterdam on her parents’ farm. The self-evident rhythm of sowing, growing and harvesting inspired the later artist her impressive wall objects made of seeds, bark, leaves and grass.
It has already given her special exhibitions throughout Europe and publications in well-known magazines. She calls the award in her own hometown a very nice recognition for her work.
Trip’s natural art beat out 55 other entries. Fellow candidates for the prize were artists Bouke, Màvcase and author Rob Stoker.
Last year, musician Bernard Gepken won the Culture Prize.