There will be a Moluccan work of art in Assen. At least, the Asser working group Baru 21 wants that and the mayor and aldermen want to cooperate. That means 47,000 euros for it. The intention is for the work of art, which consists of three monumental figures, to be placed on the steps of De Nieuwe Kolk.
The initiators describe it as a Moluccan Artwork Monument, which must be “narrative, connecting and educational”. The statue consists of three life-size figures from Moluccan history, made of corten steel. They represent the past, present and future.
Cutouts are made in the three steel figures that partly depict the Moluccan story. For example, a Moluccan sago palm, from which flour was extracted, and well-known Moluccan spices such as nutmeg and cloves, have been carved into the historical male figure. In the image of an older Moluccan woman, the islands come to life and you see the arrival by ship in Rotterdam in 1951.
The youngest figure – the future – carries a drum. You will also see a cut-out of a shell trumpet, which was used as a musical instrument but also as a means of communication to call people together for important events. For that reason, the shell trumpet is considered the voice of the Moluccan people.
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