Residential area de Maten a cultural melting pot
By Gep Leeflang
De Stentoor (Dutch newspaper)
February 4, 2008
APELDOORN – "Proud Armenia." The magazine article lies pontifically on the
table in De Drie Ranken. Vartouhi Bekoian is one of the participants at the
intercultural introduction day "de Maten in scent and color." She is proud
of her background and wants the visitors to know it.
Armenian cookies, vegetables (such as okra) and cigarettes are placed
seductively on the table. Bekoian enjoys her responsibility. "It is nice to
show things from my country," she says. "It’s also nice to mingle with other
people."
In many ways she already does so, ever since she came to the Netherlands
roughly ten years ago. She offered herself as a parent who supervises
children staying at school during lunch breaks and as a volunteer at
residence and care center Berghorst, and she joined a women’s group. "Very
nice, all of it!"
Gré de Vries, who is responsible for the third edition of the introduction
day, is satisfied with the turnout on Sunday. She believes that the
initiative of De Drie Ranken, the local council, Wisselwerk and the Platform
Long-Term Dialogue Apeldoorn is once again a success. "People from China,
Armenia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Turkey, the Antilles, and the Moluccas introduce
themselves here. ‘Show who you are,’ was the question. Other than that, we
leave as much as we can to the participants themselves. That’s also how we
started: what would you most like to contribute here?"
[PHOTO: Vartouhi Bekoian shows visitors Armenian okra. Photo by Maarten
Sprangh]