The Pigeonhole Man (2013–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - De Socialisten - full transcript
Among all the nations
and people I visited...
I never met a stranger breed
than the Dutch.
Not just one people, but a tombola of
cultures, clubs and groups.
With strange tribes
and exotic communities.
Like the classical ethnologists
before me, I will visit them...
measure them...
dissect and scrutinize them.
I'm going on safari in my own country,
in search of the jungle within us.
You can call me the Pigeonhole Man.
Searching for the authentic
Volendammer.
Are they just like they are
on television?
What are they good at?
What makes them laugh?
What are their rituals?
What do they do for a living?
Are they all similar?
How do they treat their history?
Do they stick to the rules?
And who is the Volendammer
of all Volendammers?
The Volendammer who represents
the entire people.
First, I have to see where the
Volendammer hangs out...
when he's not in his natural habitat.
For example, at a market in the big city.
They sometimes go there to sell stuff.
Is that them?
Those amazing creatures with their
hands in the fish?
Sturdy hands, strong faces.
Neckerchief.
Interested look.
Or mistrustful look?
You can go right up to them, but first
contact is often difficult.
Better to talk to the neighbors first.
Like the Vlaardingen fish shop.
Good morning. Good day. Hi. May I
have a herring, please?
What would I like on it? Everything?
-Yes, everything on it.
You're not a Volendammer? - I'm not a
Volendammer, - No? - No.
But they are all Volendammers. - Yes.
- What are they like?
Well, they're very helpful. - Really?
What is it you want to know? - I just want
to have a gossip about them. - OK.
You've been here for years, haven't you?
- That's right.
Are they approachable? - Yes, they are,
but not really open, you know?
Those Volendammers there, do you know
them at all? - Yes...
I think they're a bit, er...
exactly, a bit introvert.
They're really not, er...
They're not unpleasant, but they're not
really party people either.
I think they kind of live in their own
little world.
There's a saying: you can't make money
off a Volendammer.
That's true. They're, er...
They're like the white Jews of the North,
- The white Jews of the north? - Yes.
Some people call them that. - Really?
I swear, I swear. To the exact cent.
They give you your exact change, to the cent
too, don't they?
Yes, the money they spend here, stays
there, in the village.
Across from Volendam is the Bukdijk.
A dyke withour a purpose.
It leads nowhere, but it does offer a
safe view of the village I'm heading to.
I can't presume that I can just wander
into Volendam and be accepted.
I need advice. What to do?
What not do? What can I say?
And when should I keep quiet?
A good counsellor is someone who
doesn't quite belong to the group.
Someone from an adjacent area,
for example.
Arie and Mirjam, friends of mine,
live in Edam...
a town which borders on Volendam.
There has always been friction between
the Volendammers and the Edammers.
My counsellors.
Arie builds lifeboats and works a lot
with Volendammers...
and his wife does the shopping there
every day.
Give me a tip about how best...
Hey, I'm the chatty type.
What's, er... what's the best way to
make contact there?
Approach them calmly.
Then, if you want to ask something,
be clear and concise.
You'll get a clear and concise answer.
Let's say I want to buy a house in
Volendam. What will happen?
I wouldn't if I were you. - No? - No.
But you two live right next door. - Edam.
- Yes.
And that's not a problem? - No.
That's, er...
Edam is different. More diverse.
Much more diversity.
And it's emotionally calmer, I think.
Emotionally calmer?
Yes.
They also really hate the government,
they're born with it.
They don't trust them at all.
It's quite true.
They're very attached to their freedom.
And they don't like any interference.
It's not meant badly, but it's their village
and they think they can do as they like.
The first Volendammer you meet is Maria.
In 1997, she cried tears of blood here.
For a whole week, Volendam was a
pilgrimage site...
till someone secretly wiped away
the blood.
As they say, Volendam
is a very clean, decent village.
What's the first thing you see?
Old houses.
At least, they look old.
Tourists.
Painted shutters?
Before actually entering the community,
you have to go through a kind of gate.
You have to first wade through the past.
You learn that they were not allowed their
own church but had to go to Edam.
That Volendammers used to wear blankets
instead of coats.
And when you're finished, you may
address the gate-keeper:
Wim Keizer, of the museum, who is always
positive about his people.
Mister Keizer.
If you had to describe the nature of these
people, how would you do that?
Er...Volendammers are just hard-working.
With a sense of humor.
They don't like doing nothing.
They don't give up until they succeed.
Volendam is cheery. People are
out and about, they celebrate.
It's said that you all tend to bend
the rules.
That's not true.
We stick to the rules.
Volendammers are close to the Jews
in Amsterdam.
Oh. But the Jews and Volendammers have
one thing in common:
they like to exaggerate.
If I arrive here in the village by bus...
what will I see?
Conviviality.
You're welcome. You're a guest.
You're not a tourist, you're a guest.
You see, I've asked so many people why
they come here...
and they say it's because
they like it here.
Everyone in Volendam has a guitar.
Even the schoolmaster.
He's a real peoples' poet, and holds up a
mirror to them.
His name is Theo Hildebrand.
But in a genuine Volendam music video,
he's Specs Hilbrand.
In the clean streets, you see the same
luxury doors everywhere.
People here obviously have a sense of
symmetry.
The same names also pop up.
So the families often have nicknames too.
You put that in brackets, for example.
Okay, now for the first foray
into the group.
Just be yourself.
But wait a minute, I can't just go and
order some fancy drink now.
Could I have, er...
You don't know how they'll take it.
We don't sell beer to Coats.
Er, Coats? - You're a Coat, aren't you?
I'm a Coat? - Yes.
And what is a Coat then?
Someone who doesn't come from
Volendam.
And a Bodywarmer is someone who is half
Volendammer, half foreigner.
But we do play ordinary music.
Is that the priest?
I feel an urgent need to read something
to you all.
If you don't mind. - As long as it's not
from the Bible.
The book is called The Characters of
Dutch Peoples.
From 1938. It also describes the
Volendammer.
'Volendammers are carefree...'
jolly, they use unbelievably crude
language and are childishly naive.
They cheerfully commit sins.
But after they have confessed to the
priest...
they have a clean slate and can go off and
do it all over again.
We just said a lot of things about you.
You're carefree, jolly...
Well, you can see that's true, can't you?
Unbelievably crude language, childishly
naive. - Absolutely.
The language thing is true, by the way.
We're foul-mouthed. - Foul-mouthed eh?
And you cheerfully sin.
Yes! No!
Our Father said. 'Give us this day our
daily drink, so that we may give it to others.
Take us not to the prostitutes but deliver
us from the hangover. Amen.'
How do you think people regard you all,
outside Volendam?
For example, they say you're.. not exactly
mean, but you don't like spending money.
Every cent counts... - Then you don't
know anything, that's not true! - No?
Absolutely not. Volendammers are not all
mean.
If I were to move here, what would I have
to do to fit in?
Nothing!
All I ask of people is that they adapt.
Adapting. That's all. I'm with the woman
behind the bar.
I'm the first Moroccan to have a bar in
Volendam. Hey!!!
And kids of 22 call me 'Shit Moroccan'.
I don't care what they say, they don't
really mean anything by it...
but it does get said.
Yes. - Really? - Yes.
So if you come here as a stranger, you're
just a stranger.
And you stay a stranger.
Any ethnologist will tell you that you
need outsiders to keep a community healthy.
On the other hand, how healthy is the
community for the outsider?
Maikel Pique?!
Yes? Hey!
May I come up?
You're always welcome.
Beautiful view here eh? Hilversum.
And er ... can you explain ...
You're a Volendammer. Born and bred?
I flew there on the wings of love.
A Volendam girl? - Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes
In the year of our Lord...
I arrived in Volendam in 1976.
1976. -And I never left.
Maikel Pique is a Coat, even though he's
lived in Volendam for 35 years.
He's a Coat, not even a Bodywarmer.
So they don't want to know about life
outside Volendam.
People want to know what's happening
inside Volendam.
But he knows them through and through.
You won't often see a Volendammer with
a scarf or a cap.
Or gloves.
That would mean you're a softy.
A man in Volendam has to be tough.
Let's say, I'm in a group of Volendammers,
and I don't drink.
Then I'm just a softy. I don't belong.
I have to join in. It's a people that
does things in a group.
So everyone just has to join in with the
Volendammers.
And deviant behavior is, for example...
if you don't have a job! Uh oh!
Without a job, you're a pariah in
Volendam.
I still find it strange, you have a day
off work...
or something important to do, and you
bump into a Volendammer...
and it feels like you've been caught red-
handed committing a crime.
They always have some question for you:
So, no work today then?
You work in Hilversum, don't you?
Er.. do you ever work in Volendam?
I hardly ever work in Volendam.
I don't know where it comes from.
A lot of people know me these days. They
know I'm a painter.
I've also trained a lot of young painters.
Taught them the trade.
But still people prefer someone from the
village.
A real Volendammer. I don't get many
opportunities.
Hardly ever.
So after 35 years, you're still not a real
Volendammer?
I'm lots of fun, like a clown.
Like someone from the Middle Ages.
A kind of jester.
I'm allowed to show myself now and then,
and join in things...
but in the end, I'm not allowed to reap
any benefits.
I suppose it's difficult to convince
people with several painters
in the family, or circle of acquaintances,
to be pleased...
when you turn up with Maikel Pique.
That's really shocking. Because then you
have to explain things.
Volendammers don't like that. That's the
problem.
There's a German countess on the
Zaanse Schans, also an ethnologist.
Sophie Elpers. She knows all there is to
know about Volendamism.
Ms Elpers?
Volenddamism is the tendency for foreigners to see
the Netherlands as one big Volendam.
Er... you're an ethnologist.
Yes. - Or an ethnographer?
No, no, no. Just say ethnologist.
- Ethnologist.
At the end of the 19th century, Volendam
attracted artists from all over the world...
because it was so authentically
picturesque.
The paintings sold particularly well in
America.
A whole Holland manic thing started
in America.
Er...Holland mania, yes Holland mania.
-Holland mania.
Soon after, the rest of the world came
to Volendam too.
In the wake of all sorts of celebrities.
And Volendamism was born.
To this day, foreign tourists look forward
to seeing...
the little village that has come to
symbolize all of the Netherlands.
That Volendamism...Yes.
The Volendammers themselves were quite
pleased about the development.
The commercialization of Volendam meant...
that tourists would come to Volendam.
However...
mid-20th century, there were less
Volendammers wearing traditional dress.
That was a problem, yes.
The municipality decided it would give a
grant to anyone wearing traditional dress.
In 1925, a baker's son watched as American
tourists enjoyed exchanging clothes...
with those of the Volendammers.
Shortly after, he photographed the Americans in those same clothes.
So, ready. Let's see.
Can you give me a clue, madam? - Yes.
Just a moment.
Here it comes again.
Don't forget to look this way, sir.
- Oh, sorry.
With two hands. - Oh, okay. - There you
go, that's better.
How would you describe where we are now?
Somewhere which reinforces the image...
a tourist really wants to see.
Still, it's also commercialization of the
folk culture.
You say 'commercialization of the folk
culture', but...
perhaps that folk culture no longer exists.
Nothing about this is authentic. -No.
But it is an authentic tourist culture
that we experience here,
That what's authentic! The tourist
culture is authentic.
Absolutely. That's beautiful.
By the way, will you take another photo
of us?
Er...let's see.
'Made in Italy.'
Another pair.
And the last ones.
Goodbye.
Good luck.
Back to the real Volendam.
I'm a stranger in a strange land.
Ah, the lads.
Look at them.
Drunk. Here, if you can't get drunk,
you're a softy.
Flasher!
They're shouting 'Flasher' at me.
They think that's funny.
There it is again, the Coat.
They're wearing coats, but I'm the Coat.
Cafe 't Hemeltje.
Still closed for business.
Volendam's own Ground Zero is a café.
In the cafés along the dyke, everyone has
their own friends, and regular table.
Money goes in the kitty. You don't dance.
You sit.
Saturday night out.
Everyone's going bananas.
All sitting at the table.
Preferably with the music loud.
One true Volendam rite of passage is
the first Communion.
Whether you're religious or not, this is
just something you do.
Dear 'first Communion' children: you all
look fantastic.
There was once a shepherd, who had an
awful lot of sheep to tend.
He looked after his sheep just like your
parents look after you.
Imagine if one of those sheep...
For their first Communion, the girls are
fitted for expensive hand-made dresses.
A second-hand one is not good enough.
When they reach adolescence, few of
the children will...
join a subculture; there aren't many here.
Most young people like the same things.
But not all of them.
I think it's because we all live here bunched up
close together.
We live, cry, grow up together.
And that you don't want to be left out
Whatever else, you have to belong somewhere.
On your own, you are nothing.
That's right, but that's why I always think...
that people from outside don't like us.
Suppose I had a talent, I don't have many,
but suppose that...
If you want to make it in the music business these days, starting out from here, this village...
That will work against you.
-That simply works against you.
They'll immediately compare you with Jan Smit.
- the Paling sound.
You know, there are so many people here who
what to be involved with music in some way.
And then you get: Even more Volendammers in the
music industry?
'Forget it!'
I wouldn't mind if everything connected with music
just stayed in the village.
Because that's fun too.
- Yes, that's true.
*This is your face again
*Your face
At Don Bosco College, which was named
'Cleanest School in the Netherlands'
the pupils can demonstrate their musical
talent for a whole evening.
No-one will win.
It is a celebration of communal talent.
Watch and listen carefully.
It's almost all pop music, but there could
be Bach too.
Preferably with a bit of extra frivolity
on stage.
'It's not about being famous', the
children say.
'It's not about being famous', the
parents say.
This is what we do in Volendam.
And in Volendam, if we do something,
we do it well.
Every tribe has its own eating habits,
its own food culture.
When in Volendam, go for the local
speciality: eels.
Hi. -Good morning. -Hallo.
This is farmed eel.
Evert Smit, nickname Pitjes (Seeds),
says his father is the best eel smoker.
The best. - The best? - Yes. - Really?
Is exaggerating a Volendam
characteristic, or do you really mean it?
I really mean it.
There they are at work: father and
son Pitjes.
Volendammers whether they want to be
or not, but through and through.
I was once second at tennis in the Netherlands.
I was seventeen then.
All my friends thought: That's nice, he plays tennis.
But when I came second, of course,
I was over the moon.
I then went round to them at Jaap Molenaar's...
a place I used to visit a lot...
and then...
-The neighbors?
And I thought to myself, 'well now I'm going to be showered with...
congratulations and that kind of thing.'
'So, where did you come?'
Second in the Netherlands.
'So, couldn't you win?'
So, coming second, that wasn't worth a thing.
That's real Volendam.
-That's what I call being down to earth.
The don't talk about what's good, but
they do talk about the bad stuff.
The Cats and BZN used never to want to play here
at home in Volendam at all.
They'd shit their pants, that's how nervous
it made them.
The audience here was so critical.
You'd never get a compliment from
your parents either.
But Volendammers do boast a lot
to people from outside the village.
A kind of inferiority complex, I think... I'm
not sure.
You could say Jan Pitjes is the village
philosopher.
He's very aware of the unconventional
qualities of his tribe.
Can you typify the Volendam people?
The archetypal Volendammer: what kind
of person is that?
The social control is huge, of course.
Everybody knows each other.
And, yes, obviously that determines
the Volendammer too.
There is social control, but also a
leaning toward uniformity.
That was the case, even when Jan
was still young.
And if that person ...
started behaving differently...
When long hair was in fashion, hair
was longer in Volendam than anywhere else.
Short skirts? There you go. It was
scandal.
A year later, you had to look twice to see
whether there was a skirt there at all.
So that's also typical Volendam.
It doesn't take long for it to get extreme.
There's a saying in Volendam:
'If one has it, the other one has to have
it too.'
They're not really original, are they?
They follow each other's leads.
It's the same with holidays.
Whole buses full, they just all go to
the same place.
In Italy. All of them at a campsite.
And they rename the campsite after
the street they live on at home.
They go on holiday, and have their own
neighbors next to them.
I know... I don't join in that madness
though.
Every community has its own speciality.
A craft that has been perfected.
They call that 'Nice work' here,
'Nice work'.
Take the Schilder brothers, nickname
Loege (Frisian for Place).
Others may feel that their work isn't
relevant today, but they 'are' their work.
The council agrees with the Society for
the Protection of Birds...
that the fishing industry has an adverse effect
on the bird population.
And if others agree with the bird
protectors, that your time...
has passed, then all that remains is
anger and resentment.
And what are we supposed to do now?
- Well, you have 16 weeks a year.
Name me one kind of business you can make a living from in just 16 weeks a year.
Yes, one of those sandal-wearing types
with binoculars.
A sandal-wearing type that goes bird-watching
when he's retired.
They can live on that. But we can't.
Three days after setting their traps, the
judge suddenly ordered a fishing ban.
The Loege brothers are forbidden from
catching any more smelt.
It's a problem for us. We're addicted.
So. It's an expensive hobby, but you
have to do something.
Like women.
That's a hobby too, but it costs money.
There is the water
There is the harbour
Where you could always hear
We're going on board
The Captain lets his horse trot now
And on the horizon is Emmeloord
The seas used to be wild here
But those days have gone
The Zuiderzee is now called the IJsselmeer
A tractor heads off
To dig ditches now
I can see to the hori...
Volendam fishers have been forced to
change direction.
They'd like it to be one which does their
craft justice.
I was five, or six, and when my father
went to sea, I stood and cried.
I wanted to go with him. And then my mother was sort of on holiday.
But I wanted to go with my father. That
was a holiday for me.
We wanted to be free.
The world was our oyster. We fished
from March to October.
That gave us enough money to last a year.
Well, that was my choice.
Yes, and then...that was when the Ministry
came on the scene.
With the fishing restrictions. At first,
we supported all that.
We really thought there were too many
fishers.
In Volendam alone, when I first started,
there were 32 boats.
Now there are only 4.
So I thought, well as long as we are one
of the ones that remain, that's fine.
That was my attitude in the beginning.
And if you look now, what was the
result of it all?
Where are we now? - Where are we now?
Now, we're at rock bottom, that's where.
Is it conceivable that the day will come,
when you two...
will actually have to go pretend fishing,
for the tourism, to keep alive...
the name 'fishing village'? Is that
conceivable?
Well, we're already involved with
the tourists.
Except that we take them to see the traps
we really put out.
Still, if business keeps growing, we will
have to start staging...
fishing things to show them, yes.
So a kind of Tourist Board fishing.
- Yes. And I've always said...
I've always said I would never do
something like that.
However...times change, and you have to adapt.
Where the Volendam fleet was always the
first to sail out on the Zuiderzee...
the fleet is now sailing land inwards.
Traders, marketvendors....
and particularly contractors and
handymen.
The queue of traffic waiting to drive out
of the village starts at 4.30 a.m.
The convoy seems to want to emphasise
one thing:
this is the place where workers live.
Good morning.
Thoom Veerman, nicknamed De Koe (cow) and Jos Lautenschutz: two proud builders.
The second home of the Volendammer
is the building site.
The Volendam builders are creating a
brand-new, authentic...
picturesque Holland neighborhood
from the ground up.
The houses are reminiscent of
those on the dyke.
When you look at Volendam... -Yes.
The dyke.
Right. It all looks old...
but actually, I think it's all just been
rebuilt.
There is a lot of new building: the
difference between Edam and Volendam.
If a house needs renovating, a Volendammer will say:
oh, just knock it all down.
But they don't mind doing their bit to
preserve the style.
I read somewhere that Edam has 167
listed monuments...
and Volendam has 3.
Yes, I wouldn't be able to say what
they are.
Do you know how others see you here?
How the outside world sees you? - Yes.
Do you want to say it, or shall I?
Well, I think they think we're a bit odd.
An unusual people. While we think
we're normal.
I had family living in Australia. They lived
on a mountain in the rain forest.
I went out there. I was on the bus there
and I was immediately back in Volendam.
"Hey, Volendammer, what are you doing here?',
I heard.
Their Volendam accent was stronger in
Australia than here.
There are 18 million Dutch people and
18,000 Volendammers.
And er.... Ah, yes, okay!
Apparently there is no lack of self-criticism or
self-mockery in this community.
Nothing is held sacred.
Except maybe the cemetery.
So they demolished a neighborhood...
because no-one wanted to be buried
in Edam, is that right? - Yes.
You'd rather pull down a historic
neighborhood.
The church agreed immediately too,
since the graves were right behind it.
Handy, Mass in the church, and then
a quick visit to the graveyard.
I can imagine.
And there was something in the way,
and that had to be removed.- Yes.
So the houses had to get out of the way.
Lovely houses. When was that?
Er... about 15, 20 years ago. Yes, 15.
One old Volendammer refused to
have his house torn down for a graveyard.
He wouldn't leave. But then he
died anyway.
And now his house is gone, but he's still
lying there.
At least, if he is actually still lying
there. They empty it every 13 years.
A mere meter between the gravestones.
Now there's no longer a gravedigger...
Ed Woerlee doesn't have to be humble
and respectful any more...
which he never was anyway.
He was always a Coat, from Rotterdam.
All the graves are short and small.
As though all the bodies in them were
'little people'. - Yes. - Why?
It just seems that way. They aren't.
See, the coffins are lying longways on
top of each other.
So this is the length of a coffin.
And why do they do that?
Er... space. There's a shortage of space.
And naturally, every Volendammer wants
to be buried here when they die.
So there's no alternative. You have to
stack them up. It doesn't matter.
Stacked? - Yes. That's how they were
put in.
Number 1 in that grave, is on the bottom.
Number 2 in the middle, and number 3
on top. - Ah ha.
They're buried according to the
date they died.
So if you die on Monday, and your wife
on Wednesday, and a neighbor...
on Tuesday, then the neighbor will be
lying in between you?
You might have wanted that when you
were alive, but it's a bit late in death.
Large headstones are not allowed.
No need to be crazy, just act normal.
- Oh.
All really small headstones. -Indeed.
-All copying each other. -Yes.
And if you want to be different, get
another shape or a different color.
That'll distinguish you from the rest. But
never go bigger.
A Volendammer wouldn't be seen dead
in the graveyard in Edam.
So everyone is buried here. -That's right.
And after 13 years, everyone
gets moved out.
Everyone is cleared out? -Yes. Not
enough room, you see.
They have to make room for others.
-And the children? -Not the children.
That's a pain that never leaves you.
So the victims of the fire disaster can stay here?
-Yes.
Where are they buried? -In that corner.
There? - That's them, They're all
buried there.
So many young people eh? - Yes, yes.
Jan Pitjes, the eel smoker, misses those
old houses too.
So, these were the premises.
The old Post Office was here.
This was the old Post Office? - Yes.
And that was in, er... the year of
Our Lord...
Now, less than ten years ago, I think.
That it was demolished.
This is the exact spot where...
the old Post Office stood. -The old
Post Office.
The ones who put up that new building...
yes, that one...
they would be really pleased, of course, if
this building were to go.
Because then they would be able to
look out across the harbor.
I mean, why does a tourist come here?
Surely not for a terrace they could find
everywhere else?
They come for things from the past. -But they're smart here, aren't they?
Yes, but... -But surely they should realise?
-Yes, but in that area...
they really have been a bit backward.
They won't win any prizes this way.
So, this is the labyrinth.
In the heart of Volendam, in what's
known as the labyrinth...
there's a tiny treasure trove.
A miniscule house...
in which time has stood still.
Aafje Schilder lives here.
Nickname: 'Van de Bibber' (Shaky)
They used to call her father 'old
Shaky'. Her friend, Jannig Kwakman...
nicknamed 'Schemeravond' (Twilight), is the village's cultural conscience.
How many houses like this are
there still?
I think there's still one. On Noordeinde.
So they're all gone?
Yes, it's... Now they say...
In 1972 and 1974 my father and
mother died...
and then they asked, and it
all looked then as it does now,...
whether we were planning to go on
living in this old rubbish.
Old rubbish. That's what they thought?
Yes. That's simply what they say.
How is that possible? Now, most people
associate it with poverty.
The Volendammers have no positive
associations with it. We want progress.
And if you have a bit of money in your
pocket, then you want to buy...
a lovely, modern, new house with all the
extras.
The modern Volendam love for all
things new...
is a response to poverty.
But that isn't the only reason for the
indifference to all things old.
Jan Pitjes says it's also due to the policy
of restricting 'imports' into the village.
When a house became available,
Volendammers got the first choice.
So the fact that strangers never got
to live here...
Outsiders were also never given the chance to buy new-build homes.
And that actually caused the downfall
of the beauty of Volendam.
So you're saying there's a kind of
invisible fence around it, in fact.
That's ensured its downfall, yes.
An outsider can see it.
Edam has been preserved. Not
by the Edammers themselves.
But by the people who moved there. By
the 'imports', yes.
The Volendammers have a difficult
relation with their roots.
Look at Aafje van de Bibber.
Is she the most authentic
Volendammer?
With her traditional costume and
her old house?
No, she's the opposite: in this village
she's a rebel.
Aafje doesn't follow the crowd.
The crowd has other things to
worry about.
Money. Work. Parties.
You mean that they drink too much?
That's how it looks, yes.
I never go to the Dyke, but that's simply
how it is.
You can't treat every weekend
as if it's a fair, can you?
We used to have a fair once each year.
During the annual fair, the shop-
windows are boarded up.
The Volendammers protecting themselves
from themselves.
And then, dressed in costume...
he goes mad.
Especially on Monday morning...
when there are hardly any outsiders
around any more.
Then it's their very own party.
However, if there's any hassle
during their party for the people...
the Volendammers can always retreat
to their favourite spot.
Behind a fence.
Volendammers are people who, er...
live in groups.
Yes. Tribals in English. Tribal peoples.
Just a step up from barbarians.
But on the other hand, they're, er...
yes, they're pragmatists.
You see, I don't think you can be
great at everything.
Volendammers don't have the depth of character you look for in people.
It's going to take time. As a people,
they're still actually rather young.
It will have to develop. Now, they've
developed the work aspect...
to a certain extent. And materialism.
But recently, I also see Volendammers
I've got to know better...
who do stay abreast of all that's
happening...
and who do realise what is important.
The only thing is: it's difficult to
completely be yourself in Volendam.
Often, you'll be held to account.
And yet, I get the idea that you're fond
of them.
Well, I don't have much choice...
How could I not be fond of Volendammers?
I deal with Volendammers. I have friends
in Volendam.
And yes, I know a lot of people and I'm
secretly a Volendammer too.
I know, it's strange but I'm actually
just the same...
bad or rotten, as they say, and just as
good as a Volendammer.
I've taken on a lot of Volendammer
habits.
The true Volendammer is not someone
you recognise immediately.
Because the true Volendammer can't
be an individual:
that would make you stand out from the crowd too much.
The true Volendammer is the group,
as a whole.
That means including:
the host; the man from the museum;
the fisherman,
and the builder.
The eel smoker's son, whose father...
always goes on holiday when the fair
comes to town.
Including the musical talent.
And not forgetting the Coats. They
belong here too.
Like the undertaker, for example.
And the wise house painter.
This Coat is putting his coat back on.
The tribe was hospitable...
candid...
and exuberant.
and people I visited...
I never met a stranger breed
than the Dutch.
Not just one people, but a tombola of
cultures, clubs and groups.
With strange tribes
and exotic communities.
Like the classical ethnologists
before me, I will visit them...
measure them...
dissect and scrutinize them.
I'm going on safari in my own country,
in search of the jungle within us.
You can call me the Pigeonhole Man.
Searching for the authentic
Volendammer.
Are they just like they are
on television?
What are they good at?
What makes them laugh?
What are their rituals?
What do they do for a living?
Are they all similar?
How do they treat their history?
Do they stick to the rules?
And who is the Volendammer
of all Volendammers?
The Volendammer who represents
the entire people.
First, I have to see where the
Volendammer hangs out...
when he's not in his natural habitat.
For example, at a market in the big city.
They sometimes go there to sell stuff.
Is that them?
Those amazing creatures with their
hands in the fish?
Sturdy hands, strong faces.
Neckerchief.
Interested look.
Or mistrustful look?
You can go right up to them, but first
contact is often difficult.
Better to talk to the neighbors first.
Like the Vlaardingen fish shop.
Good morning. Good day. Hi. May I
have a herring, please?
What would I like on it? Everything?
-Yes, everything on it.
You're not a Volendammer? - I'm not a
Volendammer, - No? - No.
But they are all Volendammers. - Yes.
- What are they like?
Well, they're very helpful. - Really?
What is it you want to know? - I just want
to have a gossip about them. - OK.
You've been here for years, haven't you?
- That's right.
Are they approachable? - Yes, they are,
but not really open, you know?
Those Volendammers there, do you know
them at all? - Yes...
I think they're a bit, er...
exactly, a bit introvert.
They're really not, er...
They're not unpleasant, but they're not
really party people either.
I think they kind of live in their own
little world.
There's a saying: you can't make money
off a Volendammer.
That's true. They're, er...
They're like the white Jews of the North,
- The white Jews of the north? - Yes.
Some people call them that. - Really?
I swear, I swear. To the exact cent.
They give you your exact change, to the cent
too, don't they?
Yes, the money they spend here, stays
there, in the village.
Across from Volendam is the Bukdijk.
A dyke withour a purpose.
It leads nowhere, but it does offer a
safe view of the village I'm heading to.
I can't presume that I can just wander
into Volendam and be accepted.
I need advice. What to do?
What not do? What can I say?
And when should I keep quiet?
A good counsellor is someone who
doesn't quite belong to the group.
Someone from an adjacent area,
for example.
Arie and Mirjam, friends of mine,
live in Edam...
a town which borders on Volendam.
There has always been friction between
the Volendammers and the Edammers.
My counsellors.
Arie builds lifeboats and works a lot
with Volendammers...
and his wife does the shopping there
every day.
Give me a tip about how best...
Hey, I'm the chatty type.
What's, er... what's the best way to
make contact there?
Approach them calmly.
Then, if you want to ask something,
be clear and concise.
You'll get a clear and concise answer.
Let's say I want to buy a house in
Volendam. What will happen?
I wouldn't if I were you. - No? - No.
But you two live right next door. - Edam.
- Yes.
And that's not a problem? - No.
That's, er...
Edam is different. More diverse.
Much more diversity.
And it's emotionally calmer, I think.
Emotionally calmer?
Yes.
They also really hate the government,
they're born with it.
They don't trust them at all.
It's quite true.
They're very attached to their freedom.
And they don't like any interference.
It's not meant badly, but it's their village
and they think they can do as they like.
The first Volendammer you meet is Maria.
In 1997, she cried tears of blood here.
For a whole week, Volendam was a
pilgrimage site...
till someone secretly wiped away
the blood.
As they say, Volendam
is a very clean, decent village.
What's the first thing you see?
Old houses.
At least, they look old.
Tourists.
Painted shutters?
Before actually entering the community,
you have to go through a kind of gate.
You have to first wade through the past.
You learn that they were not allowed their
own church but had to go to Edam.
That Volendammers used to wear blankets
instead of coats.
And when you're finished, you may
address the gate-keeper:
Wim Keizer, of the museum, who is always
positive about his people.
Mister Keizer.
If you had to describe the nature of these
people, how would you do that?
Er...Volendammers are just hard-working.
With a sense of humor.
They don't like doing nothing.
They don't give up until they succeed.
Volendam is cheery. People are
out and about, they celebrate.
It's said that you all tend to bend
the rules.
That's not true.
We stick to the rules.
Volendammers are close to the Jews
in Amsterdam.
Oh. But the Jews and Volendammers have
one thing in common:
they like to exaggerate.
If I arrive here in the village by bus...
what will I see?
Conviviality.
You're welcome. You're a guest.
You're not a tourist, you're a guest.
You see, I've asked so many people why
they come here...
and they say it's because
they like it here.
Everyone in Volendam has a guitar.
Even the schoolmaster.
He's a real peoples' poet, and holds up a
mirror to them.
His name is Theo Hildebrand.
But in a genuine Volendam music video,
he's Specs Hilbrand.
In the clean streets, you see the same
luxury doors everywhere.
People here obviously have a sense of
symmetry.
The same names also pop up.
So the families often have nicknames too.
You put that in brackets, for example.
Okay, now for the first foray
into the group.
Just be yourself.
But wait a minute, I can't just go and
order some fancy drink now.
Could I have, er...
You don't know how they'll take it.
We don't sell beer to Coats.
Er, Coats? - You're a Coat, aren't you?
I'm a Coat? - Yes.
And what is a Coat then?
Someone who doesn't come from
Volendam.
And a Bodywarmer is someone who is half
Volendammer, half foreigner.
But we do play ordinary music.
Is that the priest?
I feel an urgent need to read something
to you all.
If you don't mind. - As long as it's not
from the Bible.
The book is called The Characters of
Dutch Peoples.
From 1938. It also describes the
Volendammer.
'Volendammers are carefree...'
jolly, they use unbelievably crude
language and are childishly naive.
They cheerfully commit sins.
But after they have confessed to the
priest...
they have a clean slate and can go off and
do it all over again.
We just said a lot of things about you.
You're carefree, jolly...
Well, you can see that's true, can't you?
Unbelievably crude language, childishly
naive. - Absolutely.
The language thing is true, by the way.
We're foul-mouthed. - Foul-mouthed eh?
And you cheerfully sin.
Yes! No!
Our Father said. 'Give us this day our
daily drink, so that we may give it to others.
Take us not to the prostitutes but deliver
us from the hangover. Amen.'
How do you think people regard you all,
outside Volendam?
For example, they say you're.. not exactly
mean, but you don't like spending money.
Every cent counts... - Then you don't
know anything, that's not true! - No?
Absolutely not. Volendammers are not all
mean.
If I were to move here, what would I have
to do to fit in?
Nothing!
All I ask of people is that they adapt.
Adapting. That's all. I'm with the woman
behind the bar.
I'm the first Moroccan to have a bar in
Volendam. Hey!!!
And kids of 22 call me 'Shit Moroccan'.
I don't care what they say, they don't
really mean anything by it...
but it does get said.
Yes. - Really? - Yes.
So if you come here as a stranger, you're
just a stranger.
And you stay a stranger.
Any ethnologist will tell you that you
need outsiders to keep a community healthy.
On the other hand, how healthy is the
community for the outsider?
Maikel Pique?!
Yes? Hey!
May I come up?
You're always welcome.
Beautiful view here eh? Hilversum.
And er ... can you explain ...
You're a Volendammer. Born and bred?
I flew there on the wings of love.
A Volendam girl? - Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes
In the year of our Lord...
I arrived in Volendam in 1976.
1976. -And I never left.
Maikel Pique is a Coat, even though he's
lived in Volendam for 35 years.
He's a Coat, not even a Bodywarmer.
So they don't want to know about life
outside Volendam.
People want to know what's happening
inside Volendam.
But he knows them through and through.
You won't often see a Volendammer with
a scarf or a cap.
Or gloves.
That would mean you're a softy.
A man in Volendam has to be tough.
Let's say, I'm in a group of Volendammers,
and I don't drink.
Then I'm just a softy. I don't belong.
I have to join in. It's a people that
does things in a group.
So everyone just has to join in with the
Volendammers.
And deviant behavior is, for example...
if you don't have a job! Uh oh!
Without a job, you're a pariah in
Volendam.
I still find it strange, you have a day
off work...
or something important to do, and you
bump into a Volendammer...
and it feels like you've been caught red-
handed committing a crime.
They always have some question for you:
So, no work today then?
You work in Hilversum, don't you?
Er.. do you ever work in Volendam?
I hardly ever work in Volendam.
I don't know where it comes from.
A lot of people know me these days. They
know I'm a painter.
I've also trained a lot of young painters.
Taught them the trade.
But still people prefer someone from the
village.
A real Volendammer. I don't get many
opportunities.
Hardly ever.
So after 35 years, you're still not a real
Volendammer?
I'm lots of fun, like a clown.
Like someone from the Middle Ages.
A kind of jester.
I'm allowed to show myself now and then,
and join in things...
but in the end, I'm not allowed to reap
any benefits.
I suppose it's difficult to convince
people with several painters
in the family, or circle of acquaintances,
to be pleased...
when you turn up with Maikel Pique.
That's really shocking. Because then you
have to explain things.
Volendammers don't like that. That's the
problem.
There's a German countess on the
Zaanse Schans, also an ethnologist.
Sophie Elpers. She knows all there is to
know about Volendamism.
Ms Elpers?
Volenddamism is the tendency for foreigners to see
the Netherlands as one big Volendam.
Er... you're an ethnologist.
Yes. - Or an ethnographer?
No, no, no. Just say ethnologist.
- Ethnologist.
At the end of the 19th century, Volendam
attracted artists from all over the world...
because it was so authentically
picturesque.
The paintings sold particularly well in
America.
A whole Holland manic thing started
in America.
Er...Holland mania, yes Holland mania.
-Holland mania.
Soon after, the rest of the world came
to Volendam too.
In the wake of all sorts of celebrities.
And Volendamism was born.
To this day, foreign tourists look forward
to seeing...
the little village that has come to
symbolize all of the Netherlands.
That Volendamism...Yes.
The Volendammers themselves were quite
pleased about the development.
The commercialization of Volendam meant...
that tourists would come to Volendam.
However...
mid-20th century, there were less
Volendammers wearing traditional dress.
That was a problem, yes.
The municipality decided it would give a
grant to anyone wearing traditional dress.
In 1925, a baker's son watched as American
tourists enjoyed exchanging clothes...
with those of the Volendammers.
Shortly after, he photographed the Americans in those same clothes.
So, ready. Let's see.
Can you give me a clue, madam? - Yes.
Just a moment.
Here it comes again.
Don't forget to look this way, sir.
- Oh, sorry.
With two hands. - Oh, okay. - There you
go, that's better.
How would you describe where we are now?
Somewhere which reinforces the image...
a tourist really wants to see.
Still, it's also commercialization of the
folk culture.
You say 'commercialization of the folk
culture', but...
perhaps that folk culture no longer exists.
Nothing about this is authentic. -No.
But it is an authentic tourist culture
that we experience here,
That what's authentic! The tourist
culture is authentic.
Absolutely. That's beautiful.
By the way, will you take another photo
of us?
Er...let's see.
'Made in Italy.'
Another pair.
And the last ones.
Goodbye.
Good luck.
Back to the real Volendam.
I'm a stranger in a strange land.
Ah, the lads.
Look at them.
Drunk. Here, if you can't get drunk,
you're a softy.
Flasher!
They're shouting 'Flasher' at me.
They think that's funny.
There it is again, the Coat.
They're wearing coats, but I'm the Coat.
Cafe 't Hemeltje.
Still closed for business.
Volendam's own Ground Zero is a café.
In the cafés along the dyke, everyone has
their own friends, and regular table.
Money goes in the kitty. You don't dance.
You sit.
Saturday night out.
Everyone's going bananas.
All sitting at the table.
Preferably with the music loud.
One true Volendam rite of passage is
the first Communion.
Whether you're religious or not, this is
just something you do.
Dear 'first Communion' children: you all
look fantastic.
There was once a shepherd, who had an
awful lot of sheep to tend.
He looked after his sheep just like your
parents look after you.
Imagine if one of those sheep...
For their first Communion, the girls are
fitted for expensive hand-made dresses.
A second-hand one is not good enough.
When they reach adolescence, few of
the children will...
join a subculture; there aren't many here.
Most young people like the same things.
But not all of them.
I think it's because we all live here bunched up
close together.
We live, cry, grow up together.
And that you don't want to be left out
Whatever else, you have to belong somewhere.
On your own, you are nothing.
That's right, but that's why I always think...
that people from outside don't like us.
Suppose I had a talent, I don't have many,
but suppose that...
If you want to make it in the music business these days, starting out from here, this village...
That will work against you.
-That simply works against you.
They'll immediately compare you with Jan Smit.
- the Paling sound.
You know, there are so many people here who
what to be involved with music in some way.
And then you get: Even more Volendammers in the
music industry?
'Forget it!'
I wouldn't mind if everything connected with music
just stayed in the village.
Because that's fun too.
- Yes, that's true.
*This is your face again
*Your face
At Don Bosco College, which was named
'Cleanest School in the Netherlands'
the pupils can demonstrate their musical
talent for a whole evening.
No-one will win.
It is a celebration of communal talent.
Watch and listen carefully.
It's almost all pop music, but there could
be Bach too.
Preferably with a bit of extra frivolity
on stage.
'It's not about being famous', the
children say.
'It's not about being famous', the
parents say.
This is what we do in Volendam.
And in Volendam, if we do something,
we do it well.
Every tribe has its own eating habits,
its own food culture.
When in Volendam, go for the local
speciality: eels.
Hi. -Good morning. -Hallo.
This is farmed eel.
Evert Smit, nickname Pitjes (Seeds),
says his father is the best eel smoker.
The best. - The best? - Yes. - Really?
Is exaggerating a Volendam
characteristic, or do you really mean it?
I really mean it.
There they are at work: father and
son Pitjes.
Volendammers whether they want to be
or not, but through and through.
I was once second at tennis in the Netherlands.
I was seventeen then.
All my friends thought: That's nice, he plays tennis.
But when I came second, of course,
I was over the moon.
I then went round to them at Jaap Molenaar's...
a place I used to visit a lot...
and then...
-The neighbors?
And I thought to myself, 'well now I'm going to be showered with...
congratulations and that kind of thing.'
'So, where did you come?'
Second in the Netherlands.
'So, couldn't you win?'
So, coming second, that wasn't worth a thing.
That's real Volendam.
-That's what I call being down to earth.
The don't talk about what's good, but
they do talk about the bad stuff.
The Cats and BZN used never to want to play here
at home in Volendam at all.
They'd shit their pants, that's how nervous
it made them.
The audience here was so critical.
You'd never get a compliment from
your parents either.
But Volendammers do boast a lot
to people from outside the village.
A kind of inferiority complex, I think... I'm
not sure.
You could say Jan Pitjes is the village
philosopher.
He's very aware of the unconventional
qualities of his tribe.
Can you typify the Volendam people?
The archetypal Volendammer: what kind
of person is that?
The social control is huge, of course.
Everybody knows each other.
And, yes, obviously that determines
the Volendammer too.
There is social control, but also a
leaning toward uniformity.
That was the case, even when Jan
was still young.
And if that person ...
started behaving differently...
When long hair was in fashion, hair
was longer in Volendam than anywhere else.
Short skirts? There you go. It was
scandal.
A year later, you had to look twice to see
whether there was a skirt there at all.
So that's also typical Volendam.
It doesn't take long for it to get extreme.
There's a saying in Volendam:
'If one has it, the other one has to have
it too.'
They're not really original, are they?
They follow each other's leads.
It's the same with holidays.
Whole buses full, they just all go to
the same place.
In Italy. All of them at a campsite.
And they rename the campsite after
the street they live on at home.
They go on holiday, and have their own
neighbors next to them.
I know... I don't join in that madness
though.
Every community has its own speciality.
A craft that has been perfected.
They call that 'Nice work' here,
'Nice work'.
Take the Schilder brothers, nickname
Loege (Frisian for Place).
Others may feel that their work isn't
relevant today, but they 'are' their work.
The council agrees with the Society for
the Protection of Birds...
that the fishing industry has an adverse effect
on the bird population.
And if others agree with the bird
protectors, that your time...
has passed, then all that remains is
anger and resentment.
And what are we supposed to do now?
- Well, you have 16 weeks a year.
Name me one kind of business you can make a living from in just 16 weeks a year.
Yes, one of those sandal-wearing types
with binoculars.
A sandal-wearing type that goes bird-watching
when he's retired.
They can live on that. But we can't.
Three days after setting their traps, the
judge suddenly ordered a fishing ban.
The Loege brothers are forbidden from
catching any more smelt.
It's a problem for us. We're addicted.
So. It's an expensive hobby, but you
have to do something.
Like women.
That's a hobby too, but it costs money.
There is the water
There is the harbour
Where you could always hear
We're going on board
The Captain lets his horse trot now
And on the horizon is Emmeloord
The seas used to be wild here
But those days have gone
The Zuiderzee is now called the IJsselmeer
A tractor heads off
To dig ditches now
I can see to the hori...
Volendam fishers have been forced to
change direction.
They'd like it to be one which does their
craft justice.
I was five, or six, and when my father
went to sea, I stood and cried.
I wanted to go with him. And then my mother was sort of on holiday.
But I wanted to go with my father. That
was a holiday for me.
We wanted to be free.
The world was our oyster. We fished
from March to October.
That gave us enough money to last a year.
Well, that was my choice.
Yes, and then...that was when the Ministry
came on the scene.
With the fishing restrictions. At first,
we supported all that.
We really thought there were too many
fishers.
In Volendam alone, when I first started,
there were 32 boats.
Now there are only 4.
So I thought, well as long as we are one
of the ones that remain, that's fine.
That was my attitude in the beginning.
And if you look now, what was the
result of it all?
Where are we now? - Where are we now?
Now, we're at rock bottom, that's where.
Is it conceivable that the day will come,
when you two...
will actually have to go pretend fishing,
for the tourism, to keep alive...
the name 'fishing village'? Is that
conceivable?
Well, we're already involved with
the tourists.
Except that we take them to see the traps
we really put out.
Still, if business keeps growing, we will
have to start staging...
fishing things to show them, yes.
So a kind of Tourist Board fishing.
- Yes. And I've always said...
I've always said I would never do
something like that.
However...times change, and you have to adapt.
Where the Volendam fleet was always the
first to sail out on the Zuiderzee...
the fleet is now sailing land inwards.
Traders, marketvendors....
and particularly contractors and
handymen.
The queue of traffic waiting to drive out
of the village starts at 4.30 a.m.
The convoy seems to want to emphasise
one thing:
this is the place where workers live.
Good morning.
Thoom Veerman, nicknamed De Koe (cow) and Jos Lautenschutz: two proud builders.
The second home of the Volendammer
is the building site.
The Volendam builders are creating a
brand-new, authentic...
picturesque Holland neighborhood
from the ground up.
The houses are reminiscent of
those on the dyke.
When you look at Volendam... -Yes.
The dyke.
Right. It all looks old...
but actually, I think it's all just been
rebuilt.
There is a lot of new building: the
difference between Edam and Volendam.
If a house needs renovating, a Volendammer will say:
oh, just knock it all down.
But they don't mind doing their bit to
preserve the style.
I read somewhere that Edam has 167
listed monuments...
and Volendam has 3.
Yes, I wouldn't be able to say what
they are.
Do you know how others see you here?
How the outside world sees you? - Yes.
Do you want to say it, or shall I?
Well, I think they think we're a bit odd.
An unusual people. While we think
we're normal.
I had family living in Australia. They lived
on a mountain in the rain forest.
I went out there. I was on the bus there
and I was immediately back in Volendam.
"Hey, Volendammer, what are you doing here?',
I heard.
Their Volendam accent was stronger in
Australia than here.
There are 18 million Dutch people and
18,000 Volendammers.
And er.... Ah, yes, okay!
Apparently there is no lack of self-criticism or
self-mockery in this community.
Nothing is held sacred.
Except maybe the cemetery.
So they demolished a neighborhood...
because no-one wanted to be buried
in Edam, is that right? - Yes.
You'd rather pull down a historic
neighborhood.
The church agreed immediately too,
since the graves were right behind it.
Handy, Mass in the church, and then
a quick visit to the graveyard.
I can imagine.
And there was something in the way,
and that had to be removed.- Yes.
So the houses had to get out of the way.
Lovely houses. When was that?
Er... about 15, 20 years ago. Yes, 15.
One old Volendammer refused to
have his house torn down for a graveyard.
He wouldn't leave. But then he
died anyway.
And now his house is gone, but he's still
lying there.
At least, if he is actually still lying
there. They empty it every 13 years.
A mere meter between the gravestones.
Now there's no longer a gravedigger...
Ed Woerlee doesn't have to be humble
and respectful any more...
which he never was anyway.
He was always a Coat, from Rotterdam.
All the graves are short and small.
As though all the bodies in them were
'little people'. - Yes. - Why?
It just seems that way. They aren't.
See, the coffins are lying longways on
top of each other.
So this is the length of a coffin.
And why do they do that?
Er... space. There's a shortage of space.
And naturally, every Volendammer wants
to be buried here when they die.
So there's no alternative. You have to
stack them up. It doesn't matter.
Stacked? - Yes. That's how they were
put in.
Number 1 in that grave, is on the bottom.
Number 2 in the middle, and number 3
on top. - Ah ha.
They're buried according to the
date they died.
So if you die on Monday, and your wife
on Wednesday, and a neighbor...
on Tuesday, then the neighbor will be
lying in between you?
You might have wanted that when you
were alive, but it's a bit late in death.
Large headstones are not allowed.
No need to be crazy, just act normal.
- Oh.
All really small headstones. -Indeed.
-All copying each other. -Yes.
And if you want to be different, get
another shape or a different color.
That'll distinguish you from the rest. But
never go bigger.
A Volendammer wouldn't be seen dead
in the graveyard in Edam.
So everyone is buried here. -That's right.
And after 13 years, everyone
gets moved out.
Everyone is cleared out? -Yes. Not
enough room, you see.
They have to make room for others.
-And the children? -Not the children.
That's a pain that never leaves you.
So the victims of the fire disaster can stay here?
-Yes.
Where are they buried? -In that corner.
There? - That's them, They're all
buried there.
So many young people eh? - Yes, yes.
Jan Pitjes, the eel smoker, misses those
old houses too.
So, these were the premises.
The old Post Office was here.
This was the old Post Office? - Yes.
And that was in, er... the year of
Our Lord...
Now, less than ten years ago, I think.
That it was demolished.
This is the exact spot where...
the old Post Office stood. -The old
Post Office.
The ones who put up that new building...
yes, that one...
they would be really pleased, of course, if
this building were to go.
Because then they would be able to
look out across the harbor.
I mean, why does a tourist come here?
Surely not for a terrace they could find
everywhere else?
They come for things from the past. -But they're smart here, aren't they?
Yes, but... -But surely they should realise?
-Yes, but in that area...
they really have been a bit backward.
They won't win any prizes this way.
So, this is the labyrinth.
In the heart of Volendam, in what's
known as the labyrinth...
there's a tiny treasure trove.
A miniscule house...
in which time has stood still.
Aafje Schilder lives here.
Nickname: 'Van de Bibber' (Shaky)
They used to call her father 'old
Shaky'. Her friend, Jannig Kwakman...
nicknamed 'Schemeravond' (Twilight), is the village's cultural conscience.
How many houses like this are
there still?
I think there's still one. On Noordeinde.
So they're all gone?
Yes, it's... Now they say...
In 1972 and 1974 my father and
mother died...
and then they asked, and it
all looked then as it does now,...
whether we were planning to go on
living in this old rubbish.
Old rubbish. That's what they thought?
Yes. That's simply what they say.
How is that possible? Now, most people
associate it with poverty.
The Volendammers have no positive
associations with it. We want progress.
And if you have a bit of money in your
pocket, then you want to buy...
a lovely, modern, new house with all the
extras.
The modern Volendam love for all
things new...
is a response to poverty.
But that isn't the only reason for the
indifference to all things old.
Jan Pitjes says it's also due to the policy
of restricting 'imports' into the village.
When a house became available,
Volendammers got the first choice.
So the fact that strangers never got
to live here...
Outsiders were also never given the chance to buy new-build homes.
And that actually caused the downfall
of the beauty of Volendam.
So you're saying there's a kind of
invisible fence around it, in fact.
That's ensured its downfall, yes.
An outsider can see it.
Edam has been preserved. Not
by the Edammers themselves.
But by the people who moved there. By
the 'imports', yes.
The Volendammers have a difficult
relation with their roots.
Look at Aafje van de Bibber.
Is she the most authentic
Volendammer?
With her traditional costume and
her old house?
No, she's the opposite: in this village
she's a rebel.
Aafje doesn't follow the crowd.
The crowd has other things to
worry about.
Money. Work. Parties.
You mean that they drink too much?
That's how it looks, yes.
I never go to the Dyke, but that's simply
how it is.
You can't treat every weekend
as if it's a fair, can you?
We used to have a fair once each year.
During the annual fair, the shop-
windows are boarded up.
The Volendammers protecting themselves
from themselves.
And then, dressed in costume...
he goes mad.
Especially on Monday morning...
when there are hardly any outsiders
around any more.
Then it's their very own party.
However, if there's any hassle
during their party for the people...
the Volendammers can always retreat
to their favourite spot.
Behind a fence.
Volendammers are people who, er...
live in groups.
Yes. Tribals in English. Tribal peoples.
Just a step up from barbarians.
But on the other hand, they're, er...
yes, they're pragmatists.
You see, I don't think you can be
great at everything.
Volendammers don't have the depth of character you look for in people.
It's going to take time. As a people,
they're still actually rather young.
It will have to develop. Now, they've
developed the work aspect...
to a certain extent. And materialism.
But recently, I also see Volendammers
I've got to know better...
who do stay abreast of all that's
happening...
and who do realise what is important.
The only thing is: it's difficult to
completely be yourself in Volendam.
Often, you'll be held to account.
And yet, I get the idea that you're fond
of them.
Well, I don't have much choice...
How could I not be fond of Volendammers?
I deal with Volendammers. I have friends
in Volendam.
And yes, I know a lot of people and I'm
secretly a Volendammer too.
I know, it's strange but I'm actually
just the same...
bad or rotten, as they say, and just as
good as a Volendammer.
I've taken on a lot of Volendammer
habits.
The true Volendammer is not someone
you recognise immediately.
Because the true Volendammer can't
be an individual:
that would make you stand out from the crowd too much.
The true Volendammer is the group,
as a whole.
That means including:
the host; the man from the museum;
the fisherman,
and the builder.
The eel smoker's son, whose father...
always goes on holiday when the fair
comes to town.
Including the musical talent.
And not forgetting the Coats. They
belong here too.
Like the undertaker, for example.
And the wise house painter.
This Coat is putting his coat back on.
The tribe was hospitable...
candid...
and exuberant.