Between 1831 and 1872, the Dutch government recruited 3,000 Africans from the Gold Coast and Ashanti (Ghana) for service in the colonial army in the Netherlands East Indies. The majority of them... Show moreBetween 1831 and 1872, the Dutch government recruited 3,000 Africans from the Gold Coast and Ashanti (Ghana) for service in the colonial army in the Netherlands East Indies. The majority of them were ex-slaves but were promised that their conditions of service would be the same as those of Europeans. With the 'equal treatment' clause, the Dutch government defended itself against British accusations that the recruitment operation amounted to a covert form of slave trading. While this policy made sense in the context of the precolonial relations prevailing in the Gold Coast, its merits were less obvious in the East Indies. The colonial army here was the instrument of empire building but mutinies among African troops stationed on Java and Sumatra caused it to rethink its policy concerning African soldiers. This chapter explores the background to these rebellions. Ref., sum. [Book abstract] Show less
The contributions to this volume commemorating three hundred years of diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Netherlands are grouped under three headings - merchants and merchandise,... Show moreThe contributions to this volume commemorating three hundred years of diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Netherlands are grouped under three headings - merchants and merchandise, missionaries, and voluntary and involuntary migrants - reflecting the three most important areas of contact between Dutch and Ghanaians over the centuries. The first part opens with a paper on a mission carried out in 1701-1702 by David van Nyendael, envoy of the Dutch West India Company (WIC), to Kumasi, which forms the starting point for the tercentenary celebrations. It also includes papers on the slave trade, the cocoa trade, and the role of Dutch 'schnapps' in Ghanaian ritual. The contributions on missionary activity deal with the tragic life of Jacobus Capitein (1717-1747), the first black minister stationed in Elmina, and the significance of Pentecostal churches for Ghanaians in the present-day Netherlands. The contributions on migration include stories of individual people who migrated back and forth between the Netherlands and Ghana, such as two Euro-African women from Elmina, as well as chapters on the Ghanaian diaspora, covering Suriname, Indonesia and the Netherlands. The contributions are by Ineke van Kessel, Michel R. Doortmont, Akosua Perbi, Henk den Heijer, Emmanuel Akyeampong, Victor K. Nyanteng, Henri van der Zee, David N.A. Kpobi, Rijk van Dijk, Natalie Everts, Jean Jacques Vrij, Andr‚ R.M. Pakosie, Endri Kusruri and Daniel Kojo Arhinful Show less
Between 1831 and 1872 some 3,000 African recruits sailed from Elmina (Gold Coast, now Ghana) to Batavia, the capital of the Netherlands East Indies. They had been recruited to serve in the Dutch... Show moreBetween 1831 and 1872 some 3,000 African recruits sailed from Elmina (Gold Coast, now Ghana) to Batavia, the capital of the Netherlands East Indies. They had been recruited to serve in the Dutch colonial army, which throughout most of the 19th century experienced a chronic shortage of European manpower. The Africans counted as part of the European contingent of the army. After expiry of their contracts, some Africans returned to the Gold Coast, while others opted to settle in the East Indies. They became the founding fathers of the Indo-African communities in the Javanese towns of Purworedjo, Semarang, Salatiga and Solo. On Java, the African soldiers and their descendants became known as 'Belanda Hitam' - black Dutchmen. This chapter outlines the background to the recruitment of Africans for the Dutch colonial army and describes three phases in the recruitment process: a slow start (1831-1836), a massive influx (1837-1841), and smaller-scale recruitment from the late 1850s onwards. After Indonesia's independence in 1949, most Indo-Africans opted for repatriation to the Netherlands. Bibliogr., ref Show less
This chapter examines what democratic transition in the 1990s has meant for women in southern Africa. It focuses in particular on the impact of democratization processes on political participation... Show moreThis chapter examines what democratic transition in the 1990s has meant for women in southern Africa. It focuses in particular on the impact of democratization processes on political participation by women, notably women's representation in parliament in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is compared with developments in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, where the introduction of multiparty elections has generally resulted in women's marginalization in parliament. Comparison of the representation of women in parliament in the SADC region under the one-party State and after the democratic transition reveals that the tendency is towards better representation of women. Factors impacting on the representation of women in politics include a country's state of development, the quota system, women's pressure groups, and electoral systems. Linking the UNDP's gender-related development index (1998) to the representation in parliament-index, the author concludes that there is no visible relationship between women's representation in parliament and the quality of life for women in southern Africa. Notes, ref Show less
Negen Afrika-deskundigen vertellen over een aantal aspecten van het dagelijkse leven in Zwart-Afrika - Tien verhalen over zaken uit het dagelijkse leven van mensen in Zwart-Afrika. Met veel... Show moreNegen Afrika-deskundigen vertellen over een aantal aspecten van het dagelijkse leven in Zwart-Afrika - Tien verhalen over zaken uit het dagelijkse leven van mensen in Zwart-Afrika. Met veel kleurenfoto's. Vanaf ca. 14 jaar - In deze verzamelbundel geven negen Nederlands auteurs, allen kenners van het leven in Afrika, een veelzijdig beeld van het continent, waarin nu eens niet oorlog, honger en ziekte centraal staan, maar veel positiefs wordt gemeld. Met bijdragen van: Ineke van Kessel (de sociale situatie van kinderen in Afrika); Nina Tellegen (kleinschalige bedrijvigheid op het platteland van Malawi); Adri van den Berg (overlevingsstrategie‰n van vrouwen in Afrika); Marcel Rutten (toerisme in Afrika, met name Kenia); Ineke van Kessel (democratisering in Afrika); Meine Pieter van Dijk (de stedelijke informele sector in West-Afrika); Martin Meulenberg en Thomas Gesthuizen (de opkomst van hiphop in Afrika); Chris Reij (landbouwvernieuwing op de Afrikaanse manier); Paul Hebinck (economische en sociale gevolgen van AIDS en enkele hoopgevende signalen); Jan Abbink (jeugd en religie). De foto's in het boek zijn van fotografen uit Afrika en Nederland. Het boek is tot stand gekomen op initiatief van de Stichting Afrika-Europa 2000+, die als doel heeft de beeldvorming van Afrika positief bij te stellen Show less
This book brings together studies on the broad theme of elections and democratization in Africa since roughly 1989. It is based on a seminar held in The Netherlands in February 1997, and includes... Show moreThis book brings together studies on the broad theme of elections and democratization in Africa since roughly 1989. It is based on a seminar held in The Netherlands in February 1997, and includes chapters on both electoral processes, especially the role of foreign observers therein, and the historical and sociocultural backgrounds or contexts of democratization, elections and political legitimacy. Part 1 deals with elections and election observation in Africa in general (contributions by O. van Cranenburgh, S. Ellis, I. van Kessel, B. de Gaay Fortman). Part 2 consists of country studies (M. Doornbos on Uganda, D. Foeken en T. Dietz on Kenya, J. Abbink on Ethiopia, R. van Dijk on Malawi, R. Buijtenhuijs on Chad, and M.-F. Lange on Mali). Part 3 includes a chapter that reflects the discussions held at the seminar between observers, academics and policymakers in the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (W. van Binsbergen en J. Abbink); a review of Dutch policies on election observation in Africa during the period 1992-1997 (O. van Cranenburgh); and a discussion of the 1997 general elections in Kenya, where a new approach of election observation was introduced (M. Rutten). Show less
Negen Afrika-deskundigen vertellen over een aantal aspecten van het dagelijkse leven in Zwart-Afrika - Tien verhalen over zaken uit het dagelijkse leven van mensen in Zwart-Afrika. Met veel... Show moreNegen Afrika-deskundigen vertellen over een aantal aspecten van het dagelijkse leven in Zwart-Afrika - Tien verhalen over zaken uit het dagelijkse leven van mensen in Zwart-Afrika. Met veel kleurenfoto's. Vanaf ca. 14 jaar - In deze verzamelbundel geven negen Nederlands auteurs, allen kenners van het leven in Afrika, een veelzijdig beeld van het continent, waarin nu eens niet oorlog, honger en ziekte centraal staan, maar veel positiefs wordt gemeld. Met bijdragen van: Ineke van Kessel (de sociale situatie van kinderen in Afrika); Nina Tellegen (kleinschalige bedrijvigheid op het platteland van Malawi); Adri van den Berg (overlevingsstrategie‰n van vrouwen in Afrika); Marcel Rutten (toerisme in Afrika, met name Kenia); Ineke van Kessel (democratisering in Afrika); Meine Pieter van Dijk (de stedelijke informele sector in West-Afrika); Martin Meulenberg en Thomas Gesthuizen (de opkomst van hiphop in Afrika); Chris Reij (landbouwvernieuwing op de Afrikaanse manier); Paul Hebinck (economische en sociale gevolgen van AIDS en enkele hoopgevende signalen); Jan Abbink (jeugd en religie). De foto's in het boek zijn van fotografen uit Afrika en Nederland. Het boek is tot stand gekomen op initiatief van de Stichting Afrika-Europa 2000+, die als doel heeft de beeldvorming van Afrika positief bij te stellen Show less
The revival of popular protest against South Africa's apartheid in the first half of the 1980s was also marked by a proliferation of new mass media. This chapter presents a case study of ... Show moreThe revival of popular protest against South Africa's apartheid in the first half of the 1980s was also marked by a proliferation of new mass media. This chapter presents a case study of 'Grassroots', a publication aimed at a Coloured and African readership in the Cape Peninsula, launched in 1980. The author shows how the newspaper chronicled "the everyday struggles of ordinary people" - ranging from demanding more washing lines to rising costs of living, unemployment benefits, and the history of past struggles. Those who worked for the journal did not see themselves primarily as journalists but as community activists. The author discusses the contradictions within this community - the 'racial divide' between Africans and Coloureds, as well as the "ideological, religious, linguistic, generational and socioeconomic" fault lines. The newspaper's project was to raise political awareness and build bridges across these divides, and to function as a catalyst between the interests of local and national organizations associated with the UDF and the wider Charterist movement. The newspaper was shut down in 1990. It shared the fate of most of the alternative newspapers, which did not manage to evolve a new formula to survive in the new conditions. Notes, ref Show less
