UvA lecturer writes children’s book about the VOC: “Teaching materials on this subject are inadequate”
A trip to the Maritime Museum, a bizarre time travel incident, and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of 18th-century Indonesia, ravaged by the Dutch East India Company, with all the horrors that entailed. This is what happens to twelve-year-old Nur, the main character in the children’s book De reis van de amulet (The Journey of the Amulet). Author and UvA lecturer in media studies Reza Kartosen-Wong: “Children’s books can offer a different perspective.”
In the book published this week, which he wrote together with his partner Chee-Han Kartosen-Wong, Kartosen-Wong describes how a group of twelve year old pupils end up in 18th-century Indonesia. The country is suffering under the influence of the Dutch East India Company, and oppression and slavery are everyday practice. A heavy theme for a children’s book.
Why did you choose this subject?
“As a media studies teacher, I am very concerned with representation in the media and decolonisation. My wife and I had previously written a series of picture books in which diversity and inclusion played a major role, so we felt that we should now also address the subject of decolonisation. We discovered that the teaching materials in upper primary school are inadequate when it comes to the colonial past. Last year, our eldest son, who is eleven, came home with homework about the Dutch East India Company, which still only talked about the positive aspects: the Golden Age, wealth, adventure. But nothing about the large-scale oppression, genocide or slavery. That’s why we wanted to write a children’s book about it.”
Less is known about this part of Dutch history than about, for example, the transatlantic slave trade. Why do you think that is?
“In education, little attention is paid to the slavery that took place in Indonesia. I think this is partly because there have been relatively few descendants of Indonesian slaves in the Netherlands who have spoken out about this. The first generation in particular was not very visible in the public debate. People with an Indo-European background ignored their Indonesian roots for a long time and identified strongly with the Dutch part.”
In the press release about the book, you write that the current form of anti-Asian racism can be traced back to that period. How do you see that reflected today?
“Anti-Asian racism has always existed, but it has grown exponentially during the coronavirus pandemic. People with Asian features are more often verbally abused or spat on in public. This has also happened to my wife and me. The way in which this racism manifests itself clearly has its roots in colonialism. Orientalist ideas that people of Asian descent are dirty, inferior and inhuman are still prevalent today. That is why it is important to discuss that past, especially with children. That is how you tackle the source.”
It seems complicated to me to write a catchy children’s book about such a heavy subject.
“It is indeed a heavy theme, which is why we try to proceed subtly. First and foremost, it has to be a fun and exciting book. Of course, it’s about the VOC and slavery, but primarily it’s an exciting time-travel story. It has to be fun to read. At the same time, we take children very seriously. They are perfectly capable of dealing with these kinds of adult themes; they also learn about the Holocaust at school. It’s all about the way you tell these kinds of stories. In the illustrations in the book, for example, we do show some blood, but no mass slaughter. On the other hand, we do depict how a slave is tied to a pole in the scorching sun. We don’t want to sugarcoat that.”
So it has to remain primarily informative?
“Yes. It’s a fictional story, but there’s a fact sheet at the end of the book with the historical facts. The Maritime Museum was also indirectly involved in this. We think it’s important to provide these facts so that teachers in schools can use this book as a starting point for discussing this history. For example, something that is hardly ever taught nowadays is the fact that the Netherlands committed genocide on the Banda Islands at the beginning of the seventeenth century. That’s why we wanted to include that kind of information."
“This is also where the importance of these kinds of historical children’s books lies. You can’t just change a teaching method overnight; it takes years, so schools are often stuck with it. Fiction stories, children’s books and films can ensure that children are exposed to other perspectives at an early age.”
Part of the story takes place in the Oost-Indisch Huis, a former office of the Dutch East India Company that is now owned by UvA. Why did you make that choice?
“That building played an important role in the VOC system, but it is also simply very beautiful and appeals to the imagination. I worked there myself for a few years, and there is something exciting about it. When you walk through those corridors, you can feel the seventeenth century. That makes it a great location for an exciting story.”
Is it also a reference to the role of the university in promoting this history?
“That’s a good point. In recent years, for example, there has been a lot of discussion about the function of the VOC hall. Years ago, I myself handed out diplomas there, but at the time I was unaware of the significance of that hall. Then the academic discussion started about what we should do with it. Some colleagues believe that we should no longer use the entire room. That question also comes up in the book. The VOC room is fake, a replica, not original or authentic. So we hope that adults who read the book will be prompted to think about this. What function does that room still serve?”
