The phallus, or lingga, is a prominent symbol in Indonesian culture. It can be found in various artifacts and sites – from the 15th-century Javanese-Hindu temple Sukuh in Central Java to the Monas...
‘Continues to amaze me’, ‘it is dangerous’, ‘they drive like lunatics’ – these were some of the comments on social media when friends posted pictures of motorcyclists in Ambon. Last year I took to the streets of Ambon on my motorcycle, travelling...
As the latest Venezuelan security threat and the cycle of unrest in Haiti’s political morass came to a head, threatening to hem in Guyana’s quest for peaceful ...
Recent events in Indonesian politics, commonly characterized by chaos and the role that money plays, tell a story of tragedy and farce. The unexpected resignation of Ratu Ngadu Bonu Wollah, once seen as a beacon of hope for women in ...
When I arrived in mid-January in Ambon for my second year at the Pattimura University I saw Christmas and New Year decor on the streets, which reminded me of the displays I saw the year before at the end of ...
A personal journey into the secrets of Indonesian cuisine Talking about terasi, the shrimp or seafood paste (fermented) from Indonesia, opens up many avenues of discussion. Such was my experience...
There are things in daily life that seem to always continue without notice. For me, one of them is going to the hairdresser, more or less every six weeks. I only changed a hairdresser when he retired or when I moved. Visits...
Gelo – ‘disappointing and saddening’, in Javanese – is a good word to describe the feeling that might arise when visiting the thirteenth-century Singosari temple near ...
My most memorable Lunar New Year was a quarter of a century ago in Pontianak, the provincial capital of West Kalimantan. One month prior to this, news had started coming in about deadly clashes between the indigenous Dayak people ...
Last April, accompanied by Rosemarijn Hoefte, I visited the Dutch municipality of Ouder-Amstel. The city council at that time had requested research into its colonial...