LL-L "Nomads" 2002.09.19 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 19.SEP.2002 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Pat Reynolds <pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Nomads"

Dear All,

I just got back from the Netherlands where I saw two exhibitions which I
thought I'd draw to the attention of those of you able to visit, if you
are interested in nomads and migrations.

In Rotterdam Maritime Museum there is an exhibition on the people who
work on the inland waterways.  Much of the text is translated into
English, but the detailed comments by people about their lives are not.
So it isn't clear to me whether these people are viewed as an ethnic
group by themselves or others (but the Dutch may make this clear - e.g.
the section on 'women' may have comments about some women 'marrying
in').

In the Scheepvartmuseum in Amsterdam, there is an exhibition on the
Atlantic slave trade.  This contrasts very much with the exhibition
which was the object of my visit, the 400 year anniversary exhibition of
the VOC (The Colourful world of the VOC, Rotterdam and Amsterdam).  The
Ships and Slavery exhibition began with quotations from the declaration
of human rights, and ended with the voices and pictures of people who
are in the Netherlands today because their ancestors were forcibly taken
from Africa.  The VOC exhibition, in contrast, begins with an
introductory video which shows a modern Dutch couple, whose material
possessions disappear one by one - including the jazz soundtrack - as
they are moved into an alternate history without the Dutch colonisation.
The voice-over concludes: "Imagine if we hadn't been there , but
fortunately, we were". So much rests on that little word, 'we'!  The
last and first case (the same case, approached from two directions)
contains the charter, model ship and silver ingots, which sit amid a
wealth of spices and textiles: this enterprise is about trading precious
metals for exotic consumables, underpinned by the written word. It's a
shame that more space could not have been given over to the 'they' whose
lives, arguably, have been changed more by the activities of the VOC
than those of the 'we' and their descendants.  There are, however, many
positive things to say about the exhibition - from the imaginative
provision for young visitors to the clever use of tea-bags!

Best wishes to all,

Pat
--
Pat Reynolds
pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk
   "It might look a bit messy now, but just you come back in 500 years time"
   (T. Pratchett)

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