The partitions that separated the households from each other were also thin. But that also had advantages, Tuparia laughs. “When the neighbors had an argument, we kept quiet. Then we could enjoy it. But of course the reverse also applied.”
Tuparia only discovered when he was older that the place in the woods of Hooghalen had a completely different history, that of a transit camp in the Second World War where Jews, Roma and Sinti were held captive. “My parents were especially busy with the RMS story and the question: when are we going back to the free Republic of the South Moluccas?
“As a child I often played near the ‘red buildings’. They had German texts such as ‘for women for men’, says Tuparia. “I didn’t understand that. We are here in the Netherlands, I thought.”
Years ago, Tuparia got involved for a Moluccan monument on the camp grounds. Tuparia also advocates more complete history lessons and, as a guide, gives tours of Camp Westerbork to reveal the Moluccan story. “When I’m working on the story, people often look at me with open mouths: have you lived here so long? Why don’t we know?”
Director Bertien Minco recognizes those sounds. “We have the task of telling what happened here and then you cannot simply skip such a large and important history.”
According to Minco, most visitors are drawn to the Jewish story. “The Holocaust is a very large and dramatic part of history. Moluccan history has not been talked about for a long time, just like Jewish history.”
“Fortunately, that is over. We see that this is gaining more and more space in society. That is why it is high time that we also make more room for this.”
Minco does not yet know what exactly the Moluccan zone will look like. She is discussing this with the community. But she already knows that it is at least a stylized barracks, with photos. There will also be an audio tour. The Moluccan monument, like the other monuments on the camp grounds, will also be renovated.
Tuparia is happy with the change. “This is a shared story. My father fought for the Dutch flag.”
