Dear Sir / Madam,
It is our great pleasure to announce the Dialogue Conference ‘Closing the Gap’ – ‘Van Kloof naar Verbinding’ of Stichting Dialoog Nederland-Japan-Indonesië (NJI) on the 28th of June 2025 in the Triumphator Church in The Hague (Dutch: Christus Triumfatorkerk).
With this conference we intend to continue our dialogue (that started in the year 2000) about the history and impact of the Second World War (WWII) in South East Asia on the people of the Netherlands, Japan and Indonesia. And to better understand and acknowledge how our shared history affects our current reality and impacts on the future.
As you may expect from us, such dialogue is not to judge anyone, but to come to mutual understanding on issues that have been taboo for so long and to create safe spaces for different perspectives, without prioritising one over the other.
We believe that stories of ordinary people must continue to be told and heard. Not only by those who experienced the war first-hand, but especially by their descendants in order to realize how their own lives might be affected by experiences of earlier generations and how to deal with our memories.
As in our previous conferences, our speakers in the morning session are of diverse origin and are writers, academics and other experts.
The following speakers will attend the conference:
- Professor Taira Nakamura (Japanese studies & anthropology, University of Hiroshima). Professor Nakamura will talk about the effects of Japanese colonisation in Taiwan and Indonesia and the trans-generational trauma caused by the violence of war on his grandfather (returned Japanese soldier), his father and himself.
- Dr. Abdul Wahid (Head of History Department in Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta). Dr. Wahid will talk about the importance of oral history in intergenerational transfer of memory of war within family and community based on research done by his history students.
- Melinda Barnhardt (Independent Scholar, Researcher and Writer). Ms. Barnhardt recently published ‘A Gate in the Wall: A Pacific War POW’s Secret Diary and a Family’s Path Toward Reconciliation’. The title of her talk is ‘From War Trauma to Dialogue: a POW’s Diary’s Transgenerational Model’.
- Dr. Ernestine Hoegen (Biographer, Writer, Translator and Editor). Ernestine Hoegen has analysed the culture and network of remembrance of the Kamioka POW camp in Japan and what this network of remembrance offers future generations in terms of commemoration and reconciliation. The title of her talk is ‘Moving Forward from the Network of Remembering of Kamioka POW Camp’.
- Stephanie Welvaart (Researcher at International Institute for Social History). Ms. Welvaart will speak about the importance of history telling and how this facilitates dialogue and eventual healing from trauma. The title of her presentation is ‘A Story Apart: Reconciliation Through Storytelling’.
The conference will be moderated by Wim Manuhutu, Historian and Heritage Expert.
Location: Christus Triumfatorkerk, Juliana van Stolberglaan 154, 2595 CL Den Haag (The Hague).
Date: Saturday, 28th of June 2025
The conference will be held in English.
Timetable:
10:00-13.00 presentations by keynote speakers
13.00-14.00 break with ‘Indische’ snacks (included)
14.00-17.00 ‘breakout’ groups with facilitators to foster an intimate dialogue – listening is key! Afterwards a plenary discussion and closing remarks will follow.
17.00-18.00 drinks (not included)
It is possible to attend only one part of the day: either the morning programme from 10.00-13.00 (presentations) or the afternoon programme from 14.00-17.00 (dialogue sessions).
Please let us know if you would like to attend the whole day or only one part of the conference.
We would like to remind you that our capacity is limited, so please don’t forget to apply as soon as possible.
You can apply for the conference by e-mail at:
Attendance is free of charge, but as we are a non-profit organisation with a limited budget a small donation of around €15,- would be kindly appreciated.
A donation can be made to the following bank account number: NL73 SNSB 0927 6534 94
Addressed to: Stichting Dialoog Nederland Japan Indonesië.
If you are not able to attend physically, don’t worry! We also have a live stream: link will follow later per e-mail
It promises to become an interesting and memorable event and we are looking forward to welcoming you at the conference.
Sincerely,
Stichting Dialoog Nederland-Japan-Indonesië (NJI)