TRUSTING EACH OTHER IS A GOOD BASIS FOR SUCCESS.
I am the son of Hermanus Pieter Manuhutu. Our village of origin in the Moluccas is Haria on the island of Saparua. We arrived in the port of Rotterdam on the Kota Inten on 21 March 1951.
After arriving in 1951 we went to camp Almere in Huizen. We lived in wooden barracks. That's where we started the band. There was already a lot of talent among Moluccans at the time. Every house had a guitar. We also sang a lot. At home and in church. Music is in our genes.
But talent alone is not enough. You also have to dare to invest in everything needed to be successful. In the '70s our band Massada had to professionalise. We not only bought good equipment, a manager also came on board to sort out our affairs properly. What did we know about doing business. Massada became a company that had to be run.
As a young Moluccan band, we weren't used to that. We just wanted to make music. And Massada became a great success! That happened in 1975 when we won the award from Muziekkrant OOR. Massada was often compared to Santana because of our 'latin sound'. However, our music is based on the rhythms of the tifa. You can also hear the Moluccan melancholy in it.
- Person portrayed
Johnny Manuhutu (1948, Cirebon, Java)
Artist and founder of the Moluccan band Massada Lives in Huizen - Photographer
Ed Leatemia
