Vaarwel Vaderland - Season 1

The first immigrants leave their homeland, people come from the former colonies of Indonesia and Suriname. After the Second World War, our country is in ruins. But because reconstruction is being tackled energetically, a different type of workforce is needed. Guest workers are recruited to do heavy work in the factories and mines. They first came from the then poor southern Europe - Italy, Spain and Greece - and later also from Turkey and Morocco.

How do the migrants find their feet, how do they experience the new country? How do they keep in touch with their homeland? And do they ever really feel at home?

The economy is flourishing and, partly thanks to immigrants, there is increasing prosperity. No new guest workers are needed anymore. Will they go back to their homeland, or will they stay here? Most immigrants now have children and are rooted here: they decide to stay.

Now that the future of the immigrants lies here, the question is how they will deal with the new country and how they will be treated. Do they ever really belong? The second generation of immigrants tells their story.

The third generation deals with their migration history in different ways. Some embrace their roots, while others do not want to be reminded of them.

The first immigrants have now retired. How do they experience that? Do they still want to return, or do they stay here for the children? How do they look back on their immigration past?