Everyone’s life story can be captured in a book. That is the firm belief of Annemieke Schoen of volunteer organization Humanitas. On Sunday, five books were presented in the De Horn village hall in Krommeniedijk by ‘ordinary’ Zaankanters who told their life stories to volunteer writers.
Life stories of ‘ordinary’ Zaankanters recorded – NH News
It is a great honor if a book is written about you, says Jan Wouda, ‘the unofficial mayor of Krommeniedijk’. He does volunteer work at the De Horn village hall and always has the strongest stories there. One morning over coffee he was told that someone should write a book about him.
That is exactly what Humanitas has been doing for years. Volunteers record stories of ordinary people. “The project is simple: there are people who have a story and people who want to write. We connect them. Both parties are satisfied with it. You meet people and stories that you would not come into contact with in your own bubble.” Every life story is suitable, she says: “Nobody can have a boring life.”
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Stories from older participants also sketch the time in which they lived. Annemieke: “There really is a bit of history in it. An example: a woman is in an orphanage and from the age of sixteen she has to work. She has worked in all the factories in the Zaan region and at some point ends up at Verkade. She is now 82. “When I wake up at night, I still know exactly how to wrap the chocolate with my right hand,” she said.”
Every participant in the project experiences it differently. For example, there is someone who bursts into tears after reading two sentences. Jan Wouda is especially proud of his book and compliments author Hennie. With a laugh: “It’s quite difficult to sit at the table with a guy like me, with all kinds of fragments of stories and then turn them into a beautiful story. But she did an excellent job!”
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