Resisting gentrification in Oud West | BRAM wk 15, 2023
Written by @CathyCentral on 17/04/2023
Bucking the trend, De Figuantenbar, a small brown bar on a quiet cross street in Amsterdam’s Oud West, has handed over the reins to new proprietors but very little is expected to change. Remarkably for this period in time, the neighbourhood app group was reassured that it would not turn into a fancy wine bar or coffee salon as we have come to see across the city in many hotspots, especially this buurt. Two of the bar staff that already worked there are taking on the new lease. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
At the end of March, on the eve of the handover I packed up the BRAM RADIO gear and broadcast a pop-up radio show from this gezellige location. I spoke with Peter ter Heege about his experience running an Amsterdam brown bar for 16 years. We felt that it was a moment to be recorded for the community, hearing Peter’s stories from the best Ajax celebration, writing a hit song at the bar with his regulars, surviving financially and being at the heart of an annual cultural festival. We also asked the important question: what’s going to happen to the massive record collection and musical instruments?
[@CathyCentral].
You can find the whole show here. ▶️
New Amsterdam Kitchen podcast ep
We’ve finally published a new talk-only episode of our Amsterdam Kitchen series, an abridged chat with Manasi Khanna of Tasty Talks, highlighting local women working in food. Manasi talked about why she ran a campaign throughout March 2023 to put the spotlight on female food entrepreneurs in Amsterdam and around. We got an overview of some of those businesses and local food stories, what Manasi learned through doing this project.
The unedited radio show (originally broadcast on 4 April) including music picks is available from this post, with links, on the On Demand section of our website, here: https://broadcastamsterdam.nl/podcast/tasty-talks-april-2023/.
More episodes coming soon? We actually have several interviews that we could edit to a talk-only versions — from Hiro, owner of Ku’s Kitchen on Utrechtsestraat, to Paula doing cheese-making workshops at De Kaasserie. We can’t say how long it will take us to publish the edits but if you’re a regular podcast listener you can subscribe to Amsterdam Kitchen on your chosen podcast platform you’ll find out when we do.
▶️ On Demand radio shows
The full On Demand list, with all our Dam Daily shows and more, is available here. Jons and Jasper brought you the April edition of the Amsterdam Film Show, on Streets of Fire radio show Jesse got super excited talking about the logistics of running open mic nights in Amsterdam with the guys from Bring the Rhythm, Chris Willis had his regular call with NL Times, BLESZ has a new single out, and Cathy kept at it bringing so much city news and gig alerts on several episodes of Dam Daily.
📰 Local news
BRAM RADIO shares local news on our weekday Dam Daily radio show and in our general playout, but we also publish a ‘2-minute Dam Daily’ of Amsterdam news stories, in a mini-podcast which you can subscribe to on Spotify etc. (Amsterdam news links are also updated regularly on our Pinterest boards, and shared on our website, here.) Here’s our latest 2-min Dam Daily eps …
The municipality responds to GVB planned cuts for 2024 (13 April).
The city issues new 24-hr permits, and fewer houses in Amsterdam are selling above the asking price (6 April).
Monologue podcast on air!
Sunday 16 April (14:00-15:25), we are thrilled to present a special podcast takeover featuring the “Monologue Podcast” by the Orange Theatre Company. Whether you’re an avid theatregoer or simply a fan of great storytelling, this Sunday’s podcast takeover is not to be missed. Join us as we explore the powerful connections between music and memory, journey between Lisbon and faraway galaxies, and discover the difference between poetry and Spoken Word. So if you’re looking for a break from your busy workweek, tune in to BRAM RADIO this Sunday for an immersive experience (also scheduled for the remaining Sundays in April). We guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
For more info on the scheduling of this podcast takeover, see here, https://broadcastamsterdam.nl/shows/monologue. Set your agendas and listen along!

👋 If you’re a creative podcast host based in the Netherlands, or if there’s a local podcast you think we should feature, get in touch with us! Our 📻 platform gives podcast creators the recognition they deserve and helps 🎧 listeners discover exciting new content. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the conversation. Whether it’s a podcast about food, music, or art, we want to know what you’re listening to and what you think others should discover. 🙏
[Xenia, podcast curator for BRAM RADIO]
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