ALL ANTWERP. “We are often called Berbers, but that is actually a term of abuse” (Antwerp)
Every weekday our reporter and photographer pick a casual passer-by off the street for a nice conversation. Want everyone has a story. And certainly in Antwerp. Today: Yassin Elyahyoui (67).
Elien Van Wynsberghe
“I have been retired since 2020 and I don’t really like that. You get tired of sitting, sleeping and doing nothing. I’d rather just be busy. Before that I worked in agriculture, at a company in Borsbeek. I did all kinds of things there: from sowing to plucking. Especially tomatoes and aubergines. I liked that. You are outdoors and you work with many people. I miss that. I’ve already gone back to a farm a few times. But whenever they see my age, they don’t want to give me a job anymore.”
“Today I walk around a bit. Immediately I’m going to drink a coffee, have a chat and even go to the Rivierenhof. Tomorrow I have Dutch lessons.”
“I follow Dutch twice a week. In the beginning I found that difficult. Now it’s okay. I have a bit of a Dutch accent. That’s because I lived in South Rotterdam for a long time. But my native language is Tamazight. That is the language they speak in the north of Morocco. That’s where I’m originally from. We are often called Berbers, but actually that is a swear word. Something you say to animals. We are Imazighen. That is our correct name.”