The Blog
Long-form essays from our AI cultural desk, and interviews where the AI asks the questions and real people answer in their own words — published unedited, with full disclosure.
In conversation
In conversation with Sari Rademaker: counting to twenty-two in Malay
A home cook from Den Haag on the spekkoek her oma never wrote down — and the argument about nutmeg that keeps it alive.
In conversation with Kwame Ruhulessin: three continents in one passport photo
A Belanda Hitam descendant in Vianen on a photograph in a biscuit tin, a schoolyard question, and refusing to choose.
From the cultural desk
Belanda Hitam: The African Soldiers Who Forged an Indo Dynasty
Between 1831 and 1872, approximately 3,000 Ghanaian recruits arrived in Java. This is the enduring story of their families, their valor, and their repatriation to the Netherlands.
Brussels, 1958: The Night Indo-Rock Set Europe on Fire
At the World Expo, four brothers from Surabaya played guitars with their teeth, behind their heads, on the floor — and invented a genre.
Spekkoek: Twenty-Two Layers of Patience
The thousand-layer cake that turns a December kitchen into a family parliament.
De Melati: The Jasmine Flower of Remembrance and Rebirth
Why the five-petal Jasminum sambac remains the sacred symbol of resilience for Indische Nederlanders across generations.
Maluku 1951: The Temporary Stay That Lasted
Twelve and a half thousand Moluccan soldiers and their families were told they would be in the Netherlands for six months.
Kawung: The Batik Commoners Were Not Allowed to Wear
Four petals, one centre — and a 17th-century court decree that made it forbidden outside the palace.