South Africa, Australia, Netherlands: 'Vêrlander, Orphans of the VOC' exhibitions

On 17 December, the ‘Vêrlander, Orphans of the VOC’ exhibition opened at the Westfries Museum in Hoorn (through 9 April). A book about this unique project titled ‘Vêrlander, forgotten children of the VOC’ will be launched at the opening.

The ‘Vêrlander’ exhibition focuses on the interaction between Dutch colonial rule and indigenous communities during the 17th and 18th centuries. Geert Snoeijer, a Dutch documentary and portrait photographer with a strong interest in anthropology, travelled to South Africa, Western Australia and the Moluccas in Indonesia to capture the stories of the largely unknown descendants of representatives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC): African, Australian and Indonesian people who identify themselves with their Dutch shared past. This project is supported by the Shared Cultural Heritage Matching Fund and the relevant Netherlands Embassies

In Australia, the ‘Vêrlander’ exhibition already opened on 5 November at the Western Australian Museum in Geraldton, and in South Africa, the Netherlands’ Ambassador, Marisa Gerards, opened it on 24 November at the National Museum in Bloemfontein.

The ‘Vêrlander’ exhibition in Bloemfontein celebrates the cultural heritage of the indigenous communities of Khoekhoe descent in Southern Africa. The project documents the stories of the 19th century chiefs Cornelius Kok, Josef Frederick, Dirk Vilander, Frederic Vleermuis and Goliath Yzerbek. They are founding fathers of the Griqua people, Mier Basters, Oorlam Nama and ‘Regshande’ Korana.

The word ‘vêrlander’ was used by one of the interviewees in the Kalahari to indicate that his forefather came from ‘a faraway land’. The exhibition comprises some 30 portraits of the descendants of these chiefs and members of their communities.

The exhibition is also due to be on display at the Galeri Jurnalistik Antara in Jakarta, Indonesia.