By Jan Krancher The word “diaspora” has been used throughout the web site of The Indo Project. Most readers are undoubtedly acquainted with this Greek term referring to the dispersion or scattering of Jews outside of Palastine after the Babylonian exile or, to put it another way, the area outside of Palastine settled by the Jews. In that ancient…
By Bianca Dias-Halpert How can you not love food if you were born above a restaurant ? So it was for Jeff Keasberry. His oma’s restaurant in Amsterdam, which opened in 1954, was called “Djokja” after the name of the town she was from in the former Dutch East Indies. Jeff said that the restaurant…
By Bianca Dias-Halpert After WWII ended in 1945 there was a power vacuum in the Dutch East Indies as the former Japanese captors were disarmed and the Indonesian revolutionists picked up momentum. Because of the lack of manpower in the Dutch military the Allied Forces sent British-Indian troops to stabilize the situation and aide…
By Frans Krajenbrink There was a lot of confusion in our neighborhood about what we were supposed to do. My grandpa went throughout the neighborhood to ask if people wanted to evacuate. Two families agreed to go; our next door neighbor Mr. and Mrs. Schwab and their daughter Ilse, and Mrs. Folkeringa and her four…
By Bianca Dias-Halpert After talking with Suza I couldn’t help but think of someone being at the right place at the right time. For starters, she lives in Ojai, California one of the most beautiful places in not only natural elements but also lifestyle. With a climate likened to the Mediterranean, Ojai is also an…
By Priscilla McMullen The Indo Project logo is a representation of the Indonesian Arjuna Wayang Kulit. The image is placed within Delft frame, representing the Indo connection to the Dutch, and turned to face to the East, the direction of Indonesia. Permission to use the original design of The Indo Project logo was given by…
[The van Broekhuizen family on the Maasda ship 1961 from NL to USA] By Ray and Ludy van Broekhuizen The van Broekhuizen family arrived in the cold “kikkerland”, the Netherlands, in November 1957 from warm and tropical Jakarta, Indonesia. At that time, the family consisted of dad, Charles Louis van Broekhuizen, mom, Nancy Cornelia Tency…
By Nicole Maureen Vanderwaall In the living room of a small American ranch-style house in suburban Phoenix, a little girl sat at her Grandma’s feet, munching on a cookie. She tilted her head back, looking imploringly up at the sweet, elderly woman who told such wonderful stories. “Grandma, tell me a story, please. I want…
[Featured photo: Hut Where Anne Frank Stayed in 1944] By Patricia Tiber, Arizona, USA In September I took my annual trek to the Netherlands and decided to spend some time in Drenthe, a province I had never visited before. My request for exploring the ancient “Hunebedden,” (burial mounds-50 centuries’old megaliths); the old Saxon village of…
By Bianca Dias-Halpert, Washington, USA Diverse is an understatement when it comes to describing Ingrid. An elected official who is a musician, twin, vegetarian, wife and speaks six languages, Ingrid Morroy was a delight to interview as she shared her colorful background. Her Indo mother from the Dutch East Indies and Surinamese father from the Dutch…