Why this story?

I would like to leave this to my readers, while I can still tell it. What life in the Dutch colony, the Dutch East Indies, was like for me. In Dutch history, the 300 years that the Dutch were there are so underexposed. Surely the mistakes that were made could serve as a lesson for the present? How the free bush life was exchanged for several years behind the deck due to the actions of the Japanese occupier. Also the suffering it brought to white and brown. Paradise turned into hell.

Then the Liberation and to the Netherlands, where many still died prematurely. The past has influenced the rest of life. Learning delays, but also adapting to a different lifestyle caused problems. People in the Netherlands were not waiting for these people from the East Indies, they were still recovering from the war with Germany.

It is also striking that the political climate is such that the shame about the colonial past is passed on to the descendants of those who were paid by the Dutch Government. The Netherlands has become rich because of this. In addition to the profits for the Netherlands, the then Dutch East Indies also experienced prosperity. However, much of this was lost after the war with Japan.

The economic importance of trade with Japan has also played a role in covering up what happened. Guest lecturers try to fill this gap.

The literature referred to is shown in brackets after the text in question.