Jennifer Little
New Plymouth, December 12, 2021
Launching a glossy new magazine in a global pandemic was both a tough call and a dream come true for Ingrid van Amsterdam, Editor of the multi-cultural publication, ‘BiograView’.
The magazine is the culmination of her deep commitment to publishing stories that celebrate the people who comprise Aotearoa’s multi-cultural richness and diversity.
Ingrid is based in New Plymouth and with her team of writers spread around Aotearoa, she is just produced her eighth issue, out early this month.
Alternative Thinking about Christmas
It features a cover story on alternative thinking about Christmas shopping, as well as articles on architecture, heritage, the current pandemic, and other topics within the global spectrum.
Ingrid’s involvement with migrant communities has included working with Taranaki’s Multiethnic Council, organising the city’s annual multi-ethnic extravaganza and publishing a book of migrant stories on behalf of Migrant Connections Taranaki.
Her latest project, ‘BiograView’, offers a timely antidote to growing tensions and intolerance across the globe, stoked by pandemic impacts, economic disparity and political divisions. Negative stereotyping about other cultures stems from ignorance and lack of understanding, often leading to abuse and discrimination – these are things she wants to try and amend through empathetic and informative storytelling.
Ingrid van Amsterdam (Photo for Stuff by Andy Jackson)
Fascinating and inspiring stories
“‘BiograView’ is all about sharing fascinating and inspiring stories of people from numerous different cultures with who we share this land. They may be the person who set up your favourite restaurant, or they may be your doctor, Member of Parliament, Yoga teacher or the family next door. It’s so important we step outside our comfort zone and start to learn about and value our fellow citizens from different backgrounds – their struggles, their journeys and successes,” Ingrid said.
“We can also enjoy learning about the traditions and history that lie behind aspects of our daily lives that originate elsewhere – whether it is food, gardens, animals, art, religions, languages, tattoos, tango or travel,” she added.
Stories of refugees, students or migrants from Europe, Asia and Africa adapting to life in Aotearoa and pursuing their dreams are regular features of the mag. Articles on other migrant-related projects – from an international proverb pathway in Palmerston North to a programme at a New Plymouth rest home connecting new migrants with residents seeking companionship – are just a few of the eclectic and ethnically-focussed stories you’ll find in ‘BiograView’.
From around the globe, stories about environmental and green sanctuaries in Barcelona and Rwanda are all part of the mix, as well as topics such as sexuality, viewed from a range of cultural perspectives. And there are plenty of great recipes and book reviews.
Maori topics, a key feature
Maori topics are also a key feature, with stories by Amokura Panaho (Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngaruahine) on Waitangi Day, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Matariki, Te Wiki o te Reo Maori and more.
“Living in a bicultural country it’s extremely important to give a voice to our Maori community and share the culture in our magazine, exposing viewpoints often not heard or considered elsewhere. It can’t be done enough,” Ingrid said.
She came up with the name ‘BiograView’ by combining the two words that encapsulate her vision – ‘biography’ for life stories and ‘view’ in terms of seeing something from a particular (different, alternative) angle and ‘to look at’ or ‘inspect.’
‘BiograView’ has attracted a broad readership across ages, gender, ethnicity and locality. “We have had a great response from the education sector too – some of our biggest fans are high schools where our articles are actively used for learning and research.”
‘BiograView’ is available in print and online via a subscription and can be purchased in selected bookstores and magazine outlets throughout New Zealand. After publishing monthly since May, ‘BiograView’ will go bimonthly from December, at 104 pages.
To view the latest issue, check out the website, use your email as a username and this password: o34!V%er0f)8G5((1QiKNlrP
Ingrid van Amsterdam
Ingrid arrived in New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1988 for her grandfather’s funeral and never left the country.
She was born in 1965 in Goirle in Huize Moedervreugd (‘House of Mother Joy’), a birth clinic for ‘fallen women’ (unmarried women, a big no-no those days) which actively ‘encouraged’ mothers to give up their new-born.
Ingrid grew up with her birth mother and father and brother and recalls she had a pleasant upbringing in the ‘artists’ suburb’ of Eindhoven. Her parents were both photographers, and her dad also painted and restored antique clocks for an antique dealer.
Holland, she said, has always been a very diverse country with its population comprised many ethnicities. Her first encounter with a person from another culture was in the first class of primary school – Ingrid was introduced to a very shy Turkish girl (Fatima) by her teacher, to “teach her Dutch.”
Summer holidays were often spent in Italy where Ingrid and her family would explore ruins, cathedrals and fountains in Rome and elsewhere – and it was here the beauty of the culture and language made an impression on her.
Bohemian lifestyle
In her teenage years, she embraced the bohemian lifestyle, becoming a show dancer with an interest in singing as well as acting, and did a radio jingle for a local radio station. In her early 20s, she worked in advertising and banking.
At the unexpected news of her grandfather’s death in New Zealand, she joined her mother on the long trip, ultimately deciding to stay on simply because the timing was right.
In Auckland, she entered the limelight by joining the cast of Mania, The Rock Opera, written by Robert Simonson and directed by Gordon Hall, performed at the Dominion Road Theatre, October 1988.
Love interest and curiosity brought her to Taranaki where “my breath was taken away by the fairy-tale Matemateaonga Track in the Whanganui National Park, East of Stratford.”
Ingrid has six children whom she home-schooled until her relationship status changed in 2004. In the ensuing years, she studied Te Reo Maori, worked as a waitress and performed in Jesus Christ Superstar on stage and a film (Show of Hands, directed by Anthony McCarten, filmed in New Plymouth). She is also a registered magnetic healer and has seven years of karate training under her belt, gaining her 2nd Dan in Shotokan Karate in 2010. As an interviewer for a research company, she was able to connect with a wide range of local people.
Involvement with migrant communities
Ingrid’s involvement with migrant communities has included working with Taranaki’s multi-ethnic council and organising the city’s annual multi-ethnic extravaganza.
Caring full-time for her terminally ill mother near Auckland several years ago prompted her to think about what she was going to do for the next phase of her life. The outcome was the creation of ‘BiograView,’ Perspectives from around the globe, an online and now print magazine about peoples and cultures – a vision she shared with her dying mother.
“The ‘BiograView’ concept was inspired by Homelands: Then & Now, a book I wrote on behalf of Migrant Connections Taranaki in 2018,” she said.
Returning to New Plymouth in April 2019, she wrote The Death and Birth of My Mother and I, An Intimate Perspective, about the experience of caring for her mother and how it changed their relationship.
In May 2019, BiograView.com was born. Ingrid now has a team of ten, including eight writers, local artist Charlotte Giblin who creates BiograView’s original cartoons, and a classical studies academic who contributes to the magazine with proverbs from around the world.
‘BiograView’ also has its monthly radio show: A global perspective with ‘BiograView’, presented by Charlotte and Ingrid on Access Radio Taranaki 104.4FM, available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Jennifer Little is a former Print Journalist, now a Freelance Journalist and writes for BiograView.
Contacts: Email: contact@biograview.com; Website: www.biograview.com
