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Join storytellers Elke and Teferi for a bike ride around Bajesdorp and experience Amsterdam from the perspective of people without residence status. During this English-language cycling tour on Saturday, April 11, you will hear personal stories about struggle, solidarity, and the right to exist, and see how undocumented Amsterdammers create space in the city—despite policies and public narratives that often work against them.

Amsterdam is full of hidden stories. Stories that deserve to be told more often. Because what does a city look like for people who have no right to housing, healthcare, or work?

Amsterdammers without official residence status are not only excluded from basic services, but also often remain invisible in public debate. As things currently stand, asylum policy will become stricter in 2026, and this group will face even further exclusion. Yet they are here—in the city, in neighborhoods, in public space. And these Amsterdammers organize themselves: in collectives, in squatted buildings, and in creative networks. They are building new forms of solidarity and ways to claim the right to exist, often going against dominant policies and public perceptions.

In Bajesdorp, located on the grounds of the former Bijlmerbajes prison in the Amstelkwartier area, such an organized place has emerged. Here you will find GROND, a café and art space where makers with and without papers come together for encounters, debate, and experimentation. We Sell Reality, a social-artistic label that makes the position of refugees in Europe visible, has also found a home here. In this way, Bajesdorp has created a place for people who might otherwise be forced to rely on life on the streets.

This tour is led by Elke and Teferi. They are social designers and activists, both active not only in We Sell Reality but also in We Are Here, an Amsterdam-based organization of undocumented refugees that has been fighting for basic rights through demonstrations and squatting actions since 2012. Their work comes together in GROND, where they are building a new vision of the city—one in which solidarity and collaboration are the norm. Together, Elke and Teferi share stories about their squatting past, negative portrayals of refugees, and new ways of working together.

Cycle with Elke and Teferi on a journey past several meaningful places around Bajesdorp. Along the way, they will share personal stories and invite you to view the city from a different perspective. They will tell you more about the voices, visions, and experiences of undocumented Amsterdammers, as well as the rich history of refugees and squatters in Amsterdam.

While cycling around Bajesdorp with Elke and Teferi, you will discover the architecture and public space of Amsterdam as places where room is continually found for those who do not fit standard patterns.

My City Tours: City Without Papers – Stories from Bajesdorp
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 14:00
Duration: 1.5 hours
Meeting location: At GROND, the café/creative hub in the new Bajesdorp. Address: Blijdorpstraat 1
Language: English

Tickets: A ticket costs €7.50 and includes admission to Arcam. The My City Tours are intended for all Amsterdam people , which is why it is also possible to reserve a free ticket via the ticket button.

Questions? Contact sjaan@arcam.nl