I'm a 'Kweekje' (Kweekje, mi kwekipikin )

Nicole Terborg

In the heartfelt and thought-provoking documentary series I’m a Kweekje, journalist Nicole Terborg explores her own history as a 'kweekje' – a Surinamese-Dutch term for children who didn’t grow up with their biological parents. When she was thirteen, she had to move – suddenly and alone – from her parental home in a small Dutch village to her aunt’s house in the big city. She felt unsettled, insecure, lonely, and rejected. In the first episode of the series, Nicole decides to confront her mother, theater maker Jetty Mathurin, although she fears the reactions of her family and the community. To truly understand her kweekje story, sociologist Aspha Bijnaar tells Nicole she must explore the migration history of Afro-Surinamese people.

I am "Kweekje" is available to listen to at Kaptol Boutique Cinema only!

The Netherlands 2024, '31

DIRECTOR: Nicole Terborg

Nicole Terborg

Nicole Terborg is a Dutch award-winning journalist, documentary maker, and presenter. She has worked on various TV and radio programs for Dutch public broadcasters such as VPRO, NTR, and HUMAN.
A passionate and thorough creator, she has a distinctive approach focused on making important social issues more accessible and highlighting often overlooked or hidden aspects of these topics. Her work frequently addresses social themes, as seen in her documentary Dichtbij wit (Close to White), in which she examines the skin color hierarchy, also known as colorism. Another example is her documentary Het nieuwe gezicht van hockey (The new face of hockey), which reveals a hidden world within youth hockey. In Muzikale klasse(n) (Musical class), Nicole Terborg investigates how the Leerorkest (The Learning Orchestra) grew into a national phenomenon over fifteen years, addressing the underlying theme of the fight against prejudice.
In her documentary series Kweekje, mi kwekipikin (I'm a Kweekje), Nicole investigates the informal foster care system in which she was raised. The series weaves a family chronicle, exploring themes of upbringing, uprooting, and colonial history. For this series, Nicole won the prestigious Prix Europa for Best Audio Documentary, the Vrouw in de Media Award Noord-Holland in 2023, and received several nominations, including the Dutch Directors Guild Award.