Revolusi | A revolution of flesh, bone and blood

With Revolusithe Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck signs a fascinating book on the Indonesian War of Independence.

Jean-Christophe Laurence
The Press

In 2019, a British YouGov poll asked which European country was least ashamed of its colonial past.

The Netherlands came first, with nearly 50% of respondents saying they were proud of their former empire, far ahead of the British (32%), the French (26%) and the Belgians (23%).

A totally unjustified “braces bust”, according to the Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck. His new book, the fascinating Revolusi, convincingly demonstrates that the Dutch were no better than the other colonial powers. They may have even been worse.

David Van Reybrouck caused a sensation in 2010 with his book on the history of the Congo, a total work, widely praised by the European press. Of the same caliber, Revolusi this time tackles the bloody history of Indonesian independence, after 300 years of Dutch domination.

Indonesia? We see you frown.

For most of us, this country on the other side of the world is basically a tsunami, the occasional terrorist attack or a postcard from Bali.

But this is to forget the historical importance of this South Asian archipelago, which is currently the fourth most populated country on the planet.

You should know that Indonesia was the first colony to proclaim its independence, in 1945, thereby launching an irrepressible international phenomenon, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

You should also know that it was Sukarno, the father of Indonesian independence, who organized the famous Bandung conference in 1955 devoted to the decolonization of Africa and Asia, a catalyst summit for several countries in search of freedom.

For David Van Reybrouck, these two major events alone justified the writing of Revolusi. And that is why he devoted five years of his life to this considerable work, which he rightly describes as a “fresco”.

In 600 well-packed pages, the historian paints the portrait of a nation exploited for more than three centuries, which took advantage of the Japanese occupation and the aftermath of the Second World War to escape the colonial yoke, at the end of a brutal war of independence which lasted four years and cost 100,000 Indonesian lives, against around 1000 dead on the Dutch side.

big and small story

The style is nothing academic. Moreover, David Van Reybrouck calls himself a “writer” as well as a historian. This is what gives Revolusi this unstoppable breath, which grabs you from the start and gives the impression of reading a novel.

The author does not hesitate to put in his story all the emotion and all the relevant details to tell the extreme violence of this war of independence. We feel the indignation of the author, who admits to having been “surprised” by his many discoveries, incriminating for the Dutch colonizer.

Militant historian? He defends himself. “But when nonsense has been committed, it must be said too,” he says, from his home in Brussels.

In reality, David Van Reybrouck sees himself rather as an ethnological historian.

As congo, Revolusi gives the floor to the actors and witnesses of this troubled period. He spent a year in the field, interviewing nearly 200 people, mostly aged 90 or older. In Indonesia of course, but also in the Netherlands, Japan and even Nepal, where he found former Gurkhas from the British army. “Outdoor archival work,” he says.

It is this mixture of big and small story that is the strength of the book. Beyond the official facts, Van Reybrouck delivers a story made of flesh, bone and blood, which allows another level of understanding. That was exactly the goal: “For me, oral testimony is a very democratic approach to history,” he observes. This is where we find truths that we do not find in archives and written documents. »

Awareness

It is surprising that a Belgian historian should meddle in Dutch affairs in this way. David Van Reybrouck also expected the book to be poorly received in the Netherlands. But with a few exceptions, including far-right leader Gert Wilders, it was quite the opposite. Revolusi sold well and its author was applauded.

“What I’ve often been told is: luckily you’re Belgian. You are a outsider. You have objectivity,” he says.

For many Dutch people, Revolusi even did educational work. Because it fills a great ignorance of this dark part of national history, long denied by school textbooks and the dominant discourse.

“For many people, what I am saying is completely new. It allows them to talk about this subject which was taboo, ”explains the historian.

The subject is still delicate, “painful”, he says. But the country assumes more than ever its colonial past. In 2020 and 2022, the king and the prime minister even offered their official apologies to Indonesia, for the crimes committed during the war of independence. One more step towards collective awareness, to which Revolusi obviously helped.

Another YouGov poll, and the results would probably be quite different.

Revolusi

David Van Reybrouck

South Acts

628 pages