‘My life started with the Bijlmer disaster’

The Bijlmer disaster is exactly thirty years ago at the beginning of the evening. Rapper Akwasi was one of many to witness the crash of an Israeli plane into two flats. Tonight he – and several others – can be seen in the documentary A Hole In My Heart.

Because this is Omroep Zwart’s very first documentary – Akwasi Ansah is its chairman and creative director – we discuss A Hole In My Heart in Look at the Tube. In this Subwaysection discusses new and striking programs from regular broadcasters and streaming services.

Murder and fire over Akwasi on Twitter

Akwasi joined Humberto Tan’s talk show on Sunday evening to talk about Omroep Zwart’s documentary. He hadn’t opened his mouth yet and Twitterers wept big tears. What was that Akwasi doing there? Are there many more victims of the Bijlmer disaster? And who, in addition, unlike the TV man and artist, people from their environment were lost?

The cackle sewer probably hadn’t noticed at the time that another victim, who had to miss her best friend, also simply Humberto on Sunday spoke. Even if it wasn’t: Akwasi is the creator of A Hole In My Heart, he is the main character that is being followed and also the man behind the broadcaster who made it. So logical that he was the first to be asked for the talk show.

A lot of attention for the Bijlmer disaster

Broadcasting A Hole In My Heart on the day of the Bijlmer disaster (4 October 1992) is just as logical. If we can also speak of mustard after meals. The documentary disaster flight (KRO-NCRV) can be seen ‘only’ tomorrow evening, but can be viewed via NPO Start for some time now. And of course the widely acclaimed series has been on its way for days (same title, also KRO-NCRV). Anyway, thirty years is thirty years and that is why it is not surprising that Omroep Zwart has given its own twist to the disaster at the Groeneveen and Kruitberg flats.

43 people were killed in the Bijlmer disaster: 4 crew members from El Al (there were no more people in the cargo plane) and 39 residents of the Bijlmer in Amsterdam. Many children witnessed the crash of the large plane early on Sunday evening. Among them Akwasi, who was 4 years old at the time. His memories in his life start with that moment, when he looked through the window of the apartment. “I don’t remember anything from before that time,” says the rapper. “My life started with the Bijlmer disaster.”

Children drew their experiences

A Hole In My Heart premiered last week during the Netherlands Film Festival. The approach is fascinating: the children of that time at school had to (or were allowed to) draw their experiences. The stories they told were collected in a book. For example, there is the story of the tree ‘which had no feet and therefore could not run away, but was therefore able to see everything’. We see some children from that time in the documentary.

Akwasi’s drawing also made it into the book. He decided to show it and tell his daughter who is now 4 years young herself. Telling a young child about an airplane that flies into a flat is something you might think about. But anything better than the twitterers – there they are again – who showed up on Sunday evening during the broadcast of Humberto on Sunday interfered unsolicited in the education of Akwasi in despicable language. The man who experienced the Bijlmer disaster decided to do it. He should know that himself.

Akwasi got scared and crying

The documentary shows that he is having a hard time pronouncing his words and the eyes of the Omroep Zwart-man are not keeping it dry. Fortunately, his child reacts uninhibitedly: “And then you had to cry.” Kwamè, Akwasi’s brother, sees the book about the disaster for the first time. He washed up when the plane came down and remembers his little brother as crying and scared. Akwasi’s mother admits that: “You kept screaming. When we moved it was good.”

Crying also applies to Marleen Keijzer. She was 12 years old during the Bijlmer disaster and lost three boyfriends. “From then on I started to survive. I actually still do that,” she tells the camera. She is adamant: “I would feel guilty if I stopped crying for them now. I have a hole in my heart and after thirty years that hole is still not healed.”

Akwasi has not talked about the disaster for a long time. He was an insider. But now: “It’s better to talk about it.” And he does that with fellow sufferers in A Hole In My Heart then.

Excellent ‘review cost’

Do you expect Omroep Zwart with a docu like this to raise a little finger? You don’t get that. The tone is calm and pleasant. Just like tomorrow’s KRO-NCRV broadcast (Subway saw that too) is A Hole In My Heart good ‘look back’. However, both documentaries are less impressive than the series Disaster flight. Although played by actors, disaster flight much more to the terrible disaster of that time. And especially to the inhabitants of the Bijlmer, many of whom fell ill and were left to their own devices.

A Hole In My Hand can be seen tonight (Tuesday) at 22.10 on NPO 2 and lasts 47 minutes.

Number of cans: 3 out of 5.

In any case, a viewing tip for that previously mentioned cackle sewer. First: turn off Twitter, huh?

Thanks through the letterbox: Hermien received that as a thank you after 17 years of loyal service at PostNL