BE HUMBLE,
WORK HARDER!
Being Moluccan means, for me, a mix of pride, pain, happiness, sorrow and respect. I am third generation, grandson of Private First Class Dortheys Uktolseja and grandmother Saliyah Salomina Sukya. We come from the village of Sirisori on the island of Saparua in the Moluccas. On 21 March 1951, my grandparents and their 2 children stepped ashore in Rotterdam.
The Kota Inten had brought them there.
I later came to live in the Moluccan neighbourhood of Bovensmilde and began to immerse myself in my family's history and all the connections between families, culture and adat. I built the foundation of my barbershop on this knowledge. Because, after all, it's nothing less than giving and receiving respect: lain sayang lain.
You'll find plenty of beautiful personal memories in my shop. Every customer can see where I come from. I haven't been to the Moluccas myself yet, but that won't be long now. Which colour of the RMS flag do I like best? I can't really say; to be honest, I represent all the colours, but really none of them in
particular. I feel like a citizen of the world, I don't want to put myself in a box.
I'm grateful that things have turned out well for me. In the international barbering world, I'm known through various trade magazines as The New Kid aka Dirty G. I'm also part of the Artistic Team at Wahl Official, and I work with the Oil Can Grooming Crew. Success really doesn't just fall into your lap. You need serious perseverance, but also patience, time, trust and belief in yourself.
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Person portrayed
Giovanni Uktolseja
(1982, Amsterdam)
Owner of Gio’s Chop Shop - Photographer Ed Leatemia
