What's Happening in The Netherlands?
Last Year in the Netherlands...
The Netherlands In the city of Zoetermeer, an exhibition about Australia’s stolen generations is proving popular. (http://www.dreamweb.nl/ZDU/zoetermeerdownunder.htm) It continues until 28 May. There will be a special event on Sorry Day.
Bringing people, nations and cultures together :
Dr Pamela Croft produces Mural in Stolen generations exhibition in Holland.
Dr. Pamela Croft is currently in Holland for the exhibition “Zoetermeer Down Under: living in two worlds ” organised by Dreamweb and the city museum of Zoetermeer, a town adjacent to The Hague. What comes alive with the help of her hands, and the hands of schoolchildren, visitors, artists and immigrants in Zoetermeer is a stunning piece of mutual art. Using Aboriginal symbols as a connecting force, Pamela creates a story on one of the bigger museum walls. It is the story of the connection of Holland and Australia, which began 400 years ago. With the display of the Duyfken, the Dutch explorers ships that once touched Australia’s soil in 1606, the story begins.
“The Dutch were traders, and left our country”, Pamela explains to the hundreds of schoolchildren visiting the exhibition. “When the English came, they claimed our land, an unexpected turn, and the start of a painful history for Aboriginal people. The handprints that we ask you to put on the mural, represent in our culture the connection of our spirit with the land. This makes us strong, today and in the future”. And so the mural slowly gets its colours, handprints and design, and takes its place within the exhibition.
The exhibition tells the stories of thirteen Aboriginal people of the Stolen Generations. Dreamweb’s director Lucien Lecarme, photographer Frits Falkenhagen and Rob Tol went to Australia in January 2006 to talk to Aboriginal people, and organisations like the National Library and the National Sorry Day Committee. They travelled through four States, experiencing deep encounters with the people that now are part of the exhibition. Back in Holland the exhibition was made public to press and people. It is officially part of the 400 years celebration programme and the Australian Embassy was present at the opening, together with the Major of Zoetermeer, a town with 120,000 inhabitants.
Among the Aboriginal artwork on display is the work of Pamela Croft, and of Robert Campbell Jr, on loan from the World Museum in Rotterdam.
The exhibition runs to may 28th. A Dutch Sorry day will be held at may 26th.
More info
www.dreamweb.nl
http://www.dreamweb.nl/ZDU/zoetermeerdownunder.htm