It is a world full of mystery, adventure, and discovery. A place where you can meet new people or get together with friends. We're talking about nightlife. For Thys Boer, Arts & Culture alumnus and chairman of the Foundation N8W8 R'dam, the night is a time to discover who you are and who you want to be with. We talked with him about his passion for the night, his choice for studying at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), his work and his future ambitions.
The power of the night
Thys' fascination with nightlife began at age 14, when he first visited a Rotterdam nightclub. Thys remembers: "I discovered how much I loved the nightclub and nightlife because of the diverse people I met there: rastafari, hip-hop heads, skaters, punks. From that moment on, I've always been sort of captivated by the value of nightlife."
As a lecturer in Leisure & Events at the Willem de Kooning Academy, Thys tries to convey his passion for the night through, among others, the elective 'Power of the Night'. He teaches students that you can also develop talents and skills subconsciously by exploring unknown places. He encourages them to be open to the possibilities the night has to offer; to meet people and discover new art forms.
Studying Arts & Culture
Although Thys completed both his bachelor and master in Arts & Culture at the Erasmus School of History, Culture & Communication, he remembered that his choice for this field of study was not self-evident. Economics, business administration and philosophy first attracted his attention, but in his own words, he did not feel "at home" there. A feeling Thys did find in the Bachelor Arts & Culture Studies, where he was able to combine his interest in arts and culture with academic skills such as critical thinking, analysis, presentation and argumentation. Moreover, the international experience during his studies, including an exchange to Berlin and interactions with international students, opened his eyes to other perspectives.
Thys understands that it is sometimes difficult for (prospective) students to imagine where they will end up after their studies. Nevertheless, he believes that studying arts and culture can take you in many directions. He does stress the importance of a proactive attitude though: "There are plenty of opportunities during your studies, but you have to ‘roll up your sleeves’ and take the lead", says Thys.
"I find it important that people can participate in society; whether that is through sports, arts, culture, or nightlife."
N8W8 R’dam
After his studies, Thys took the lead in his career with great regularity. A first highlight being the organisation of the demonstration 'Rise for the Night' (in Dutch: Opstaan voor de Nacht) in 2019. Over two thousand residents gathered on Stadshuisplein to express their concerns about the state and future of Rotterdam's nightlife, as the Municipality of Rotterdam decided to stop the development of a new club on the former Ferro site. The manifestation led to the establishment of the Foundation N8W8 R'dam, Rotterdam's independent nightlife council, of which Thys is the chair.
Together with his team, Thys is committed to a vibrant, socially inclusive and culturally diverse nightlife in Rotterdam. The best thing about this job is that he can really help people - entrepreneurs and citizens - especially those with more distance to the (local) government. Thys: "It's important that people can participate in society. Whether that is through sports, arts, culture, or nightlife". Thys shares the importance of social participation with his source of inspiration Mustapha Eaisaouiyen (one of the last residents that left the Tweebos neighbourhood in Rotterdam, who led a fiery battle against the dismantling of the neighbourhood). "We pursue the same ideals; whereas Mustapha is very committed to housing, I am to nightlife", Thys explains.
Take nightlife seriously
Whether the mission of Foundation N8W8 R'dam will ever be accomplished? Thys does not expect so. On the contrary, the role and task of the independent advisory body will only become more important, he thinks. "We see that due to developments like urban densification, digitalisation, festivalisation, inflation and repayment of state aid received during the Covid pandemic, nightlife is facing some tough challenges recently." His motto – as well as the eighth focus area in the foundation's vision document – is therefore: "Take nightlife seriously!"
Future ambitions
With publication of his book 'No day without night' (Geen dag zonder nacht), a dinner with artist Ai Weiwei and his recent registration as freelancer at the Chamber of Commerce, Thys has already achieved some impressive career highlights. If it is up to him, he would like to add to this list a night walk with the new mayor of Rotterdam to introduce him/her/they to all entrepreneurs working in and with the night. What else would be nice? "If more nightlife venues are opened by diverse target groups (i.e. queer, Latin), so there will be a place for everyone in Rotterdam to come together at night," he adds.
Night Mayor?
Thys is sometimes referred to as the new night mayor of Rotterdam. Are you curious if he would accept this title and want to know his opinion on the role of night mayor? Then listen to ‘De Nieuwe Nachtburgemeester’ (in Dutch), the podcast episode of Stadswandelingen with Thys Boer and Nomzamo Roseval. Stadswandelingen' is a podcast series in which Erasmus Verbindt explores, questions and clarifies the relationship between the city and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
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