Roots and wings: Museum Maluku in 2025
In his latest column director Henry Timisela takes you through the ambitions and plans of Museum Maluku for the years ahead. From digitisation and international collaboration to strengthening the bond with the Moluccas: read how we keep our heritage alive for future generations.
“When I walk through the corridors of Museum Sophiahof, I feel the responsibility resting on our shoulders. I am proud to say that the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport is supporting our office until the end of 2026, which means Museum Maluku stands at the beginning of a crucial transformation. A transformation I would not have dared to dream of five years ago when I took office as director.
We have not been idle in recent years. Where the story of Moluccans in the Netherlands used to be central – starting with the arrival in 1951 – we are now shifting our gaze. The Moluccas themselves are becoming an important focal point of our story, a perspective that opens up new horizons. One in which indigenous culture is central, because yes: ‘Does “the Moluccan” actually exist?’ Through our collaboration with, among others, Museum Siwa Lima in Ambon, made possible by the Mondriaan Fund and Dutch Culture, we continue to build bridges.
In our depot in Rotterdam we are engaged in a major and remarkable transformation. Together with the Royal Library we are digitising parts of our collection, an enormous job that temporarily means our collection is not accessible. But this calm before the storm is necessary. Because in 2026, when we mark 75 years of Moluccans in the Netherlands, we want to present our collection in a way that does justice to our history and our future. So if we are talking about goals, you have just read one. There is work to be done.
When I took office as director in 2020, during the corona pandemic, I found a heritage scattered across the whole of the Netherlands. A treasure of objects and stories, donated by the Moluccan community, that had become fragmented through many moves. Now, five years later, we have not only centralised everything, but we are also building digital bridges to the Moluccas. This work would be impossible without our dedicated team of part-timers, freelancers and volunteers. From boardroom to depot, their passion is the beating heart of our museum. Although our focus is now on rearranging the collection, we continue to organise public programmes that celebrate Moluccan art and culture.
Museum Maluku was once founded to tell the story of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands. Fortunately so. That mission remains and gains a new dimension by strengthening the ties with the homeland. It is an ambitious journey, but a necessary one if we are to preserve our heritage for future generations. With admiration I have seen in recent years how the fourth and fifth generations of Moluccans shape their identity in their own way. They connect tradition with renewal, and as Museum Maluku we are proud to be able to offer these new voices and perspectives a stage and to support them in their search for identity.
Sometimes I pause at the collection pieces our community has entrusted to us. In every object there is a story, a memory, a piece of identity. When I see how far we have come, and what still lies ahead, I think of an old Moluccan saying: “Sagu salempeng dipata dua” – dividing a piece of sago in two. Just as our ancestors shared their last piece of sago, we now share our stories and heritage, not only with each other but also with future generations. Because only by sharing can we keep our heritage alive.”
Henry Timisela Director Museum Maluku
