Dutch Colonialism in Literature and Cinema
The colonial period and resistance movements against colonialism have always been prevalent in Indonesian cinema, as well as fiction and non-fiction writing. Two works focusing on this colonial period, Child of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Eros Djarot’s film, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien have many similarities, but differences as well. Each work takes its turn in relating both the histories and the personal struggles of the Indonesians against European colonialism. The movie, in particular, evokes an educational and an historical feeling as it focuses on an actual woman, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien – the wife of a prominent political leader in Aceh – who led groups of Indonesian resistance fighters in the longest lasting resistance to Dutch colonialism ever.
Throughout the struggles of colonialism, it is blatantly apparent over and over again – through history, literature and cinema – that the indigenous people being subjected to colonization have difficulty maintaining and perpetuating their identities, language and culture. An instance of this hardship is noticed early on in the novel during which the main character, a successful, educated writer named Minke, is criticized for writing in Dutch rather than his native, Malay, language. Jean Marais criticizes Minke saying:
There is something I feel is a great pity. Something that thousands of other people feel is a great pity too: Why do you only write in Dutch? Who do you only speak to the Dutch and the others who understand their language? You owe nothing to them, just as your mother once told you. What do you expect from them that makes you want to speak only to them? (Pramoedya 57)
The argument goes on as Minke says that he would not have enjoyed such success had the Dutch been unable to read his writing. Still, Jean responds that the Indonesian Malay language is used most in the Indies and adds to insult, “You’re an educated Native! While Native people are not educated, it is you who must ensure they become educated. You must, must, must speak to them in a language they understand” (Pramoedya 58). This brief exchange between the Dutch-speaking, Minke, and the non-Dutch-speaking, Jean, demonstrates the constant battle, not only between the colonized and the colonizing, but within the colonized themselves. The aforementioned scuffles within the colonized people show the difficulties between people who accepted the Dutch influence and people who resisted colonization and were attempting to hold on to their Indonesian language, culture and identity.
Just as Minke has clearly attempted to assimilate into Dutch culture by accepting Dutch dominance and writing in their native language, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien and her people did exactly the opposite. Tjoet Nja’ Dhien and her husband, Teuku Umar, were very involved in both political and religious resistance to the Dutch. It is said that the success and duration of the resistance to Dutch colonization in Aceh, the northernmost province of Sumatra, was due to the strength of Islam in that region. Attempts by the Dutch to establish alliances and win the support of Islamic religious leaders had failed and what had originally been a generalized defense against colonization turned to holy war.
“Tjoet Nja’ Dhien was officially declared a heroine of the Independence Struggle (Pahlawan Kemerdekaan Nasional) by the Sukamo Government in May 1965” and her role as a hero in Dutch resistance, and her husband’s role as a martyr of the Dutch resistance, certainly led to a feeling of national identity. Throughout the film, she is seen in meetings, giving advice and making plans for resistance, and in prayer, devoting herself to the Islamic faith. What is particularly striking is that Tjoet Nja’ Dhien is a woman! Tjoet Nja’ Dhien was a busy woman acting as both a strategic leader in both politics and religion in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Coincidentally, at the time, the United States had yet to even establish suffrage and give women a vote in the political world. So often, in the histories, literature and cinema depicting colonialism in various areas, we are led to understand that the colonizers were far superior to their subjects; an example of this is “the white man’s burden” so often mentioned in histories and depictions of the colonization of African Americans. Perhaps, it should be duly noted that sometimes these “burdensome” societies were actually more advanced than their colonizers and maybe should have been left to develop on their own within their own, already established cultures.
Ultimately, Child of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Eros Djarot’s film, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien, both provide valuable information and insight to Dutch colonialism in India. The book offers a greater view of the social ramifications of colonialism while the film is grounded in a more historical context; still, each conveys the struggles of both the Indonesians and the Dutch in the colonial world.
