Dutch Cultural Heritage in Indonesia: Jakarta & Bandung Revisited

By: Peter van Riel

Dutchman Emile Leushuis' recent book 'Guide Historic City Tours in Indonesia 'isa must have for wanderers. Through practical composition and design, the book is an ideal tool to search for physical traces of the colonial era. The book presents walking trails in several Indonesian cities. We chose Jakarta and Bandung, the two largest cities with colonial buildings.

An almost sad feeling comes over you at a first sight at the ruins along the Kali Besar in Jakarta, the former Molenvliet. Bats, mold, vermin and vagrants have taken possession of the premises, often 19th century buildings with details that suggest long gone beauty.

Ornaments and inscriptions leave little to guess about how the former Handels Maintz & Co looked in full glory, when the canals were still clean and tidy. Not far away are the remains of the Dutch-Indies Handelsch Bank. Again in a deplorable state of preservation. The properties of Ghijsels virtually collapsed in 2008 during, sometimes caused by construction works of a large nearby hotel.

Singapore, the other Face of the Nation-State

By: Cher Tan

One People, One Nation, One Singapore: Uniquely Singapore! Beneath the guise of democracy lies a hotbed of political repression in multicultural Singapore. Regarded as a utopia to some and a dystopia to others, the juxtaposition of yin and yang adds an interesting spin on the political system and culture of the nation state.

Often compared to the dystopian world in Orwell's 1984, Singapore thrives. And what does Singapore thrive on, exactly? And how? For all its radiance and beauty, above it all lies a façade to rival the perfection. Singapore is one of those places where one can possibly debate themselves to the ground on whether it is an utopia or a dystopia. And why not both? It takes great pains to make itself beautiful, doesn't it? The subtleties which can only be felt cannot be judged as suffering.

Disappearing Trades in Singapore

Modernization in Singapore has been exponentially rapid in the past two decades. The turn of the millennium – and thusly, the burgeoning need to live up to its reputation of being a first-world superpower – has resulted in an automatic culling of what are deemed relics of the past. The ubiquitous sidewalk cobbler that was once a fixture of the 80s and 90s have made way for boutique cobblers situated in air-conditioned shoe shops in shopping malls.

Cleaning Up Landmines in Cambodia

By: Ate Hoekstra

More than twenty years after the peace agreement was signed, landmines and other unexploded devices are still a problem in parts of Cambodia. But thanks to hard working deminers that problem is getting smaller day by day.

Kuon Samraong is cleaning up landmines. The young Khmer man started the job at Halo Trust a few months ago, one of four organizations that are dedicated to remove all explosives left in the country after decades of war. And, like many other Khmer people in the north and northwest of Cambodia, Kuon grew up in an area that has been affected by landmines. An area where having a landmine in your backyard is not that unusual. That's what made him decide to become a deminer.

Independence Day Cambodia

November 9th marks a very special date for all Cambodians: Independence Day! Cambodia achieved independence from France in 1953. A carnival atmosphere takes over the country spreading joy to each and every city. After winning over its independence from France, the country was transformed into a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk. The Cambodian government lost the Mekong Delta to Vietnam upon independence.

During the month of November leading up to the Independence Day special events and preperations take over daily life and there is an apparent buzz about the main territories and city areas of Cambodia.

Introduction to the Moluccas

By: Tegar Putuhena

Ever since Indonesian independence in 1945, the Moluccas Islands (or Maluku in Indonesian) -one of the oldest provinces in Indonesia-, formed a single unified province. However, in 1999 it was split into two provinces: North Maluku and Maluku. North Maluku is predominantly Muslim and its capital is Ternate while Maluku has a larger Christian population and its capital is Ambon.

Dutchman ‘Van Dis in Indonesië:’ A Critical & Personal View on Indonesia

By: Yvette Benningshof

The Dutch tv series Van Dis in Indonesië featured the well known writer Adriaan van Dis, traveling through Indonesië in search of his roots, traces of the Dutch and the shared history between Indonesia and the Netherlands. With his own complex family history as a leading thread, he travels through Java, Bali, Maluku and Sumatra. He talks with a colorful cast of people: writers, a bakso seller, a miljonair, a sultan and the son of Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia.

Best of all: All episodes are available online, so Indonesians and other international viewers can also watch this series!

Wanted: Dutch Expats for Research on Expat Life in Post-Colonial Indonesia

Hello Latitudes.nu readers. My name is Yannick Wassmer, and I am a 24-year old 'Dutch' student. I'm currently finishing my masters degree in Intercultural Communication at the University of Utrecht. At the moment I'm doing an internship at Fortune PR in Jakarta. My Indonsian roots (grandparents of both sides are Indonesian), sparked my interest in this country.

For my master-thesis I want to conduct a research on the life of Dutch expats in Indonesia with a special focus on the post-colonial context in which it takes place. To be more precise: I want to research to what extent the colonial past is of influence on the lifes of Dutch expats in Indonesia. Do Dutch expats notice any aspects of this shared past in their day to day activities and interactions with Indonesians?

Taru Martani: A Story of Cigars and Indonesia

By: Reza Daffi

While its liking of cigarettes is no longer a secret, the fact that Indonesia produces (and consumes) cigars remains less renowned. One of the country’s cigar factories is located in Yogyakarta, called Taru Martani. As a venture that has managed to survive after decades, Taru Martani has become part of Indonesian history.

How Indonesia Caught Smoking

The habit of “ngobong congor” (burning one’s mouth, Javanese slang for smoking) was already practiced in Java since at least early in the 17th century. A Javanese manuscript from 1601, Babad Ing Sangkal, noted that people began to smoke after the death of Panembahan Senapati, the founder of the Mataram Sultanate of which Yogyakarta was part. It is possible that they were introduced to tobacco by the Dutch who had come in 1596 under the explorer Cornelis de Houtman. By this time, smoking was already common across Europe, tobacco having been imported by Christopher Columbus’ crew from the Caribbean years before.

The Dutch, however, played an important role in spreading smoking in Indonesia. The fact that the Indonesian word rokok (meaning, cigarettes) is derived from the Dutch word roken (to smoke) provides evidence.

The Winding Story of Tea in Indonesia

By: Jacobus E. Lato

Tea has been a traditional beverage for Indonesians for over 200 years, particularly among village women. Men tend to prefer black coffee; enjoying its taste mingling with the aromatic blend of a kretek cigarette, before starting their daily routines early in the morning. The serving process runs smoothly almost like a traditional rite; early in the morning and in the evening alike.

An old woman in Solo in her early 80s told me once;  “When I was a child, my mother always served tea. We had to drink tea before starting our activities in the morning.” Her past and joyful vivid memory seemed to have lived on in her life, as witnessed by her automatic and ritualistic current practice of serving tea: “Until now I always drink tea, as well as my children with their own family members. It is healthy as well,” the lady told me and then recalled her husband as the best man anyone could wish for, preventing her to ever get married again. Her husband passed away when she was not even forty yet.  “My marriage was great and there is and will not be no one like “him” in my life,” she proudly told me.

Actually I wasn’t aware of how our random conversation brought us into intimate family affairs. Later on I realized, the lady was possibly triggered by the advertisement that was running on television at the time. On the screen the tea was served; ending up the family conflict; it supposedly improved their communication as well as avoid any miss-communication.