Journalist Herman Keppy presented his latest book 'Zijn jullie kerels of lafaards? De Indische en Indonesische strijd tegen de nazi's 1940-'45' (Eng: Are you men or cowards? The Indian and Indonesian resistence against the Nazis 1940-'45) on Friday, November 29th, in the 'Verzetsmuseum' (Eng: Museum of the Resistence) in Amsterdam. The Corts Foundation made a financial contribution to realize this important publication.
In the Verzetsmuseum copies of the book were given to children of East Indies and Indonesian people who fought against the nazis in the Netherlands. One of them, the well known Dutch singer Ernst Jansz (of the band called Doe Maar), spoke and sang about his father Rudi who had joined the resistence in Amsterdam during the war. Rudi Jansz was a member of the East Indies community that existed long before the war in the Netherlands. He was mobilised and came into action on May 10th, 1940, but later on was captured for his resistence activities. He was not the only one, as it turns out in the book by Keppy.
'Are you men or cowards?' attempts for the first time to provide an overview of the fighting and resistence against the German occupier by people originating from the Dutch East Indies, present Indonesia: Indonesians, 'Indos' and 'totoks'. From the intellectual to the common worker, men and women, politically from progressive to very conservative. For many, including the Indian community, a very hidden story. This book tells the history of the German occupation again, but now coloured, also literally, by the people of the Dutch East Indies.
Herman Keppy (Amsterdam West, 1960) is a journalist and writer. During some twelve years he did research for his book. It resulted in lectures, publications and exhibitions. He published an earlier novel called 'Tussen Ambon en Amsterdam' (Eng: Between Ambon and Amsterdam) and a collection of stories called 'Pendek'. He is the editor of the journal called 'Indies Tijdschrift' that was launched also on November, 29th.
On the website of the Dutch news paper 'de Volkskrant' an interview (in Dutch) can be read here: https://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opinie/het-indische-verzet-tegen-de-nazi-.... See also a book review (in Dutch) on: https://www.athenaeum.nl/leesfragmenten/2019/zijn-jullie-kerels-of-lafaards/
The book can be ordered through the publisher at: http://www.uitgeverijwest.com/
More details can be found together with other publications supported by the The Corts Foundation.
