The Past is a Foreign Country

Description

The Past is a Foreign Country portrays a holocaust of sorts–one not well known outside the community it affected–a community that is now in danger of extinction. The book gives evidence to the internment experience of former colonials, both Dutch, European, and mixed-race, in Indonesia under the Japanese during World War II. Those giving testimony include the unknown writer of a graphic novel; selected cartoons drawn by a boy once interned; an account of another boy’s experience in the camps; an account of a young girl’s experience living outside the camps; and access to a film that documents life outside the camps. In addition, Berg and de Vroom, whose family members suffered the internment and its aftermath, share their experiences.