After 4 years, Kaja Sariwating is stepping down as chair of the board of the Moluks Historisch Museum. His vision, personal commitment and governance skills have contributed greatly to the MHM as it is today. The MHM is therefore grateful to him for his years of dedication and will take proper leave of him later this year.
Under his chairmanship the MHM has become considerably more professional. The office has been greatly rejuvenated and expanded, the MHM has entered into various collaborations – with Moluccan makers, the Landelijk Moluks Monument and the Indisch Herinneringscentrum, for instance – and the foundation's right to exist has been secured for the coming years through multi-year subsidies. With that, the MHM has grown into the point of contact for all questions about Moluccan cultural heritage. The MHM now makes knowledge about the history, art, culture and development of Moluccans accessible to a wide audience in and outside the Netherlands. Alongside knowledge, the MHM has also come to focus on offering a platform to the many local initiatives in the Moluccan community, and last year it coordinated the impressive programme around 70 years of Moluccans in the Netherlands.
Under Kaja's chairmanship the MHM office has grown from one paid member of staff to a full team of enthusiastic and expert professionals, most of them with a Moluccan background. "With the current office there is not only movement, but a great deal of depth has been added too. I have every confidence that these Moluccan professionals, under the leadership of Henry Timisela, will take the organisation much further in the coming years," says Kaja. Kaja was also closely involved in the collaboration with the Landelijk Moluks Monument, the appointment of director Henry Timisela and the round table of the Collective Recognition of Indo and, above all, Moluccan Netherlands.
Kaja will formally hand over the chairmanship on 1 August. From then on the MHM board will consist of a chair still to be recruited, secretary Joan Hoexum, treasurer Ruud Van Gessel, board members Sara Taihuttu and Lydia Sahetapy-Engel and a sixth board member still to be recruited.
Kaja was appointed as a board member and vice-chair in May 2018. In 2019 he succeeded Glenn Haulussy as chair of the board.
