1 December 1972

A "Hand" Drawing for Daddy

Since the sixties many Turkish workers migrated to the Netherlands to become industrial workers. The so called 'guest' workers temporarily left their family behind and regularly sent part of their income to Turkey. On 31 (sic!) November 1972 the young Veysel writes to his father in Holland. Father had left the Southeast of Turkey in 1969, finding work in the Dutch textile industry. His salary of 125 guilders was a double of the family income. Veysel asked his father for money. To motivate him he drew his own hand life-sized and told him the shoe sizes of the family members.

See also:

•  Exhibition Turkish 'guest' workers (in Turkish)

Today in the Biographies Dutch Labour Movement