{"id":136602,"date":"2022-02-24T12:53:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T11:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=136602"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:08","slug":"decolonisation-of-indonesia-the-power-dynamic-still-isnt-properly-balanced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/02\/24\/decolonisation-of-indonesia-the-power-dynamic-still-isnt-properly-balanced\/","title":{"rendered":"Decolonisation of Indonesia: \u2018The power dynamic still isn\u2019t properly balanced\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Revolusi!<\/em> exhibition and the apology recently issued by the Dutch government for the violence inflicted on Indonesian freedom fighters during their war of independence have given rise to many discussions on the Netherlands\u2019 colonial past in Indonesia. PhD student Tamara Soukotta is working on a research on the topic decolonisation and decoloniality. \u201cThe Dutch left Indonesia more than seventy years ago, but colonial logic is still alive and kicking.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeba Sukmana<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Room 3 of the Revolusi! Indonesi\u00eb onafhankelijk <\/em>exhibition that is currently on at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam features rows of showcases in which all sorts of historical objects are displayed. The room focuses on family histories and personal stories about things that happened during the Indonesian revolution. On a wall a word is written in all caps on a red background: GEWELD (\u2018violence\u2019). The information provided underneath describes the violence that engulfed Indonesia in 1945. The Dutch word describing this period, \u2018bersiap\u2019, gets a mention, as do words used in particular parts of Indonesia, such as \u2018ngeli\u2019 and \u2018gedoran\u2019. <\/p>\n

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The description of the outburst of violence in the exhibition<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

It was this part of the Revolusi! <\/em>exhibition that gave rise to heated debates, even before the exhibition was opened to the public. The Indonesian historian and guest curator Bonnie Triyana wrote in NRC<\/em> that the word \u2018bersiap\u2019 would not be used in the exhibition because Indonesians are unfamiliar with it and it has \u2018a highly racist connotation\u2019. The Federatie Indische Nederlanders (Federation of Indo Dutch people) then pressed charges against Triyana because they felt his words constituted a denial of the period, which was traumatic for Indo Dutch people, as well as veterans. As a reaction, the General Director of the Rijksmuseum, Taco Dibbits, emphasised that Triyana\u2019s words constituted a personal opinion and that the museum would in fact use the word. The Comit\u00e9 Ereschuld Nederland (Dutch Debt of Honour Committee) then pressed charges against the Rijksmuseum for using the word in the exhibition.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/h2>

According to Soukotta, the soap opera relating to the exhibition reflects the current state of decolonisation in the Netherlands. \u201cInstead of having an actual discussion on the subject, the Rijksmuseum opted to dismiss Triyana\u2019s words in the debate that followed. Colonial logic is alive and kicking. It was vital to Dibbits that someone from the former colony be involved in the exhibition, but the moment that person brought up something that evoked profound reactions, Dibbits no longer wanted to be associated with it. He washed his hands in innocence,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\t

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