I never heard the word “decolonization” in Indonesia until I came to the Netherlands…
Yes, I first encountered that word here in the Netherlands while studying in Amsterdam. I didn’t even know that colonization could be “de-” which means to signify deprivation, removal, and disconnection — in sum, erasing something. Wait, what? We can’t undo colonization; yes, it happened in the past, but we can decolonize?
After spending 18 years of my life in Indonesia and 12 years of schooling with history lessons that constantly narrated and required me to remember dates and places where the Dutch came to colonize and “steal” our natural resources and everything during colonization, as well as the establishment of the VOC in Batavia, I realized we’ve been reading the same page of colonial history for years, yet I never really knew the word “decolonize.” I never knew there was a word that means to free ourselves, detach, and delink from colonial power, and the thought of being an inlander — or a colonized country — was ever-present.
My motivation for studying in Amsterdam was simple: I wanted to see the Indonesian collections in the museums here. That’s it. I wanted to see my nation’s belongings that are not at home. I wanted to read the stories, and if possible, touch these treasures from my homeland. I dream of bringing these valuable historical, artistic, and cultural collections back home. I want the people in Indonesia to feel and see their heritage being displayed at home. I want these artifacts to come home. This might be a “too-far” dream, but it’s what I aspire to be possible.
One day, I came across Bushuis — Oost-Indisch Huis, a UvA building that was formerly a VOC office before they moved to Batavia in 1808. I never imagined I would attend classes in the former office of the company that my history books mentioned over a hundred times. On the announcement board, I saw a large poster for a UvA program called “DECOLONIAL DIALOGUES.” This was the first time I started exploring the notion of decolonization.
I later discovered that UvA invests heavily in decolonization research, which is intriguing considering it’s in the Netherlands, an ex-colonizer country. It puzzled me why decolonization is rarely discussed back home yet is profoundly examined here. This word haunted me for days until I finally scrolled through elective courses and found one called “Aesthetics of Decolonization.” This class opened my eyes, sparking many ideas and making me rethink my country, prompting deeper questions.
On the first day of class, my teacher told us about the Bandung Conference, a significant and phenomenal event for newly liberated countries from colonialism. It was the first time newly independent countries gathered to share their struggles and envision their future freedom. I never knew the importance of the Bandung Conference or that Gedung Asia Afrika, where people take pictures and enjoy street food surrounds the building, was so significant to the world.
Day by day, I encounter new concepts of colonialism that I had never heard of before. I don’t even know if they are discussed in Indonesia. Reading Fanon, Cabral, and Césaire has been like opening many doors in my mind. Decolonization is a term that emerged after colonization, representing the struggles and ruptures of the past. But do we need the same amount of time and violence to detach from colonialism?
In these notes, we will dive deep into these essays and readings. We will also examine Tricontinental magazines that cover stories of past movements. This magazine was born from the Tricontinental Conference, which took place in Cuba in January 1966, and the Institute for Social Research, established in Frankfurt in 1923. The Tricontinental Conference united various revolutionary movements from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, emphasizing national liberation, non-alignment, and socialism.
Hence, this publication, or “NOTES,” serves as a reflection and aims to be a footnote to the learning journey exploring the notion of decolonization. It hopefully can slowly provides perspectives and connects dots from someone coming from a colonized country. It’s more about questioning than just reflecting. What is the meaning of decolonization if it is not discussed within the countries or people that were colonized?
