A TRIP THROUGH MEMORY LANE

Arriving in the harbour city of Semarang, the final interview was scheduled with Els Marijn, the 82-year old great-granddaughter of African soldier Floris Marijn. As Els grew up with her paternal grandparents, she has an amazing knowledge of the pre-war African community. She even remembered two phrases in an African dialect of which 'sika ni ho' turned out to be 'There is no money' in the Fanti and Ashanti languages. When her parents, brothers and sisters all left for The Netherlands in 1954, Els applied for a Dutch travel visa, but was denied the document. Up till this day she doesn't understand why. After marrying Johannes Kippuw, she gave birth to four sons. Still living in the house that her grandfather Petrus Marijn built on Jalan Pesangrahan, she's surrounded by her children and 14 grandchildren.