The Dutch National Archives in The Hague were the scene of an auspicious occasion on Saturday 22^nd May 2010. The book ‘Zwarte Huid, Oranje Hart’ (Black Skin, Orange Heart) written by Griselda Molemans was being presented. The subtitle of the book ‘African KNIL-descendants in the Diaspora’ will for many readers establish the association with the title of this article, others will have to read on, to know what this is all about.

‘Belanda Hitam’ or ‘Black Dutchmen’ was the name given to the African soldiers in the Royal Dutch Indonesian Army (KNIL) on the island of Java, Indonesia, in the 1830s.

Book presentation

The fascinating stories in the book ‘Zwarte Huid, Oranje Hart’, currently only available in Dutch are the expansion, elaboration, passing on of personal memories and eye witness accounts of the descendants of the ‘Belanda Hitam’ in The Netherlands, Ghana, Surinam, the United States and Indonesia.

Journalist Griselda Molemans and writer of the book is in fact one of them and traced her forefather back through Ghana to Burkina Faso, which is related in an earlier book.

The presentation of the book took place at the institution where most of the Dutch historical records are kept. Some of these are the military records of the KNIL, which has all the details of the African recruits. Those invited to the event were mostly members of the Info-African community in The Netherlands, but more about them later.

In her welcoming and introductory speech by the author recalled the wonderful and exciting journey of discovery she made in meeting and interviewing the ‘Belanda Hitam’ descendants. The revealing of so many remarkable details and wealth of materials, like old photographs discovered made a moving impression on her, which she has been able to masterfully put down in print. Then a slide presentation was projected of the old photo material, but also of exquisite and striking portraits of the people interviewed. This was the work of the young, but already recognised and awarded Dutch photographer Armando Ello, who accompanied the writer on her amazing journey of discovery. A good number of the interviewees shown in the portraits were present in the hall, while others were known to the Indo-African community audience.

The remarkably skilled photographs may have looked familiar to many in the audience, to others the mixed African and Indonesian features were a striking appearance.

Prominently present was a delegation of CoGhaC (Foundation for the Council of Ghanaian Chiefs in the Netherlands), invited as special guests, who looked very dignified in their colourful African robes and royal regalia. They had been invited because of the connection to Ghana and asked to perform a traditional libation.

Introducing the delegation to the audience, the Coordinator of the CoGhaC Foundation explained that the organisation was formed to promote the culture of Chieftancy within the Dutch-Ghanaian Diaspora in the Netherlands. He further made clear that the Chiefs present were in fact chosen and installed by the people of their particular area in Ghana, but currently living in The Netherlands. The CoGhaC Coordinator, who happens to be the author of this article, then elaborated on the meaning of the ritual of libation. This is performed to appease the spirits of the forefathers and the earth to the purpose of the occasion. It involves the pouring of an alcoholic liquid, preferably Dutch schnapps or gin, but also palmwine or whisky, while reciting a payer of message to the spirits. It can be done by anyone and is at times in e.g. Cameroon even poured at the entrance at the start of parties while saying that all those who pass the doorway will do so with good intentions. However at important or official gatherings in Ghana it is done by a traditional priest, councillor or Okyeame (spokesperson) of the chief of the area.

At the book presentation, the Okyeame had been detailed for this task, but the head of the CoGhaC Foundation, Barima (Chief) Asamoah Kofi IV was so moved by the story of the ‘Belanda Hitam’ descendants that he decided to perform the ritual by himself. While the other members of the delegation, among whom Baafour (Chief) Frimpong Effapanin II looked on, a prayer in the (Ghanaian) Akan language was recited and liberal amounts of the Bols ‘Zeer Oude Genever’ were poured on the floor. It was even poured on the feet of the author Griselda Molemans as she was summoned to the stage where the libation took place.

The ritual was accompanied by drumming on the so called talking drum by the Ghanaian ‘Captain Moro’ who had earlier appeased the spirit of the drum with the same Dutch gin.

The official presentation of the first copies of the book was to those who facilitated the writing of the work and those that made this event possible. Among these were the Deputy Director of the Dutch National Archives, the Head of the publishing company ‘d’Jonge Hond’, the photographer Armando Ello and a few others.

A cocktail rounded off the happening, during which many of the ‘Belanda Hitam’ descendants were quite interested to talk to the chiefs at which numerous rounds of photographs were made.

The link http://www.houseofreporting.tv/?fId=5 provides extensive information on the book (ISBN 978-90-89101-62-4 / NUR 688), the occasion described above and other related matters.

The basic story of the ‘Belanda Hitam’

As briefly summarized above, ‘Belanda Hitam’ or Black Dutchmen, was the Malaysian name given to the African soldiers in the Royal Dutch Indonesian Army (KNIL). The decision to find new recruits in Africa had been taken because of the lack of sufficient manpower in The Netherlands. The Java war in Indonesia (1825 – 1830) had cost the lives of up to 8,000 European soldiers, while the secession of Belgium in 1830 also ended recruitment there.

While considering men from the Gold Coast it was also thought that they would be more used to the climate and tropical diseases of the Asian Dutch colony, which took the life of many Europeans. Recruitment started by ordering the Dutch Governor of the Dutch fort in Elmina to look for volunteers to enlist at his location and through other Dutch trading posts, like Axim and Accra at the then Gold Coast now Ghana.

This resulted in only a few dozen men, duly taken by (sailing) ships sent from Holland to Indonesia, a three months journey at the time. The Dutch then sent a delegation to the powerful Ashanti King Kwaku Dua I, who eventually signed a contract with the then Dutch King William I. The agreement was that 1,000 recruits would be delivered within a year. The advance payment was 2,000 guns, with more to be delivered later. As a security two young Ashanti princes, Kwasi Boakye and Kwame Poku were sent to The Netherlands, to receive a Dutch education.

Eventually between 1831 and 1872 a 3,000 African recruits sailed from Elmina to Batavia, now Jakarta in Indonesia and were enlisted into the Dutch colonial army. After their contracts expired they were given the chance to go back to Elmina, but many stayed on as they had gotten children with Indonesian women and became the founding ancestors of Indo-African families. Upon the independence of Indonesia most opted for repatriation to The Netherlands, as after all they considered themselves and were duly recognised as Dutch nationals.

Back to the Gold Coast

A good number did however return to the Gold Coast and settled at the Java Hill given to them by King William I. One of those was Manus van Ulzen, whose great-great-grandson Prof. Thad Ulzen now lives in the United States but has his base in Ghana too. He established the Elmina Java Museum in Elmina, which portrays the history of the ‘Belanda Hitam’ for Ghanaians and tourists. See http://elwininternational.com/elmina_java.html. Thad also runs a tourist agency as well as medical volunteer programme for American medical students in collaboration with the Elmina hospital.

Other publications and exhibition

The book ‘Zwarte Huid, Oranje Hart’ is not the first publication about or related to the ‘Belanda Hitam’. The story about the two Ashanti princes, ‘De Zwarte met het Witte Hart’ or ‘The two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi’ as the English title goes is well known.

‘In the tracks of The Panther’ (Dutch title: ‘In het voetspoor van De Panter’) is Griselda Molemans’ earlier mentioned book about tracing her own heritage. (See link above).

‘Zwarte Hollanders; Afrikaanse soldaten in Nederlands-Indië’ (‘Black Dutchmen; African soldiers in Dutch Indonesia’) by Ineke van Kessel appeared in 2005 along with the exhibition ‘Zwart in dienst van Oranje’ (’Black in the service of Orange’).

Conclusion

The quote ‘people are trapped in history and history is trapped in them’ is very apt in this case, though with the difference that the writer Griselda Molemans succeeded in getting the history out of the descendants of the ‘Belanda Hitam’ and into her valuable, surprising and fascinating book.

*Ato Bob is a former Dutch Diplomat who now consults with various NGO’s on African issues. He lives in Rotterdam and may be reached on atobobhensen@hotmail.com