After the end of the Indonesian War of Independence, the steamship Ranchi brought Dutch Indonesians and KNIL soldiers to the Netherlands in 1950. 37 children were born on board. Documentary maker Joost Wilgenhof tracked them all down.
In The Ranchi Babies he tells the story of five Ranchi families. How do they deal with the colonial legacy? Very different, as is apparent from how children of KNIL soldiers Martin and Chris talk about their fathers. Martin speaks of his as a “hero”, Chris calls his “murderer”. Supplemented with conversations with historian Esther Captain, the podcast gives a good picture of the decolonization process.
The Ranchi Babies6 episodes of about 45 minutes, Autres Directions/ Aldus/ / NTR.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of October 8, 2022