01: My unbelievable experience with Adrie

Post date: Feb 09, 2014 6:43:27 PM

 日本語？     Liever in Nederlands?

The Captive's Hymn I sang with Adrie and others at the Dialogue conference 2010 (video by Ernst de Groot)

12 February 2011

Adrie passed away on February 2nd in 2011. At her funeral in Delft I may speak as follows.

Pastor Smith, the entire Lindeijer family, my friends, ladies and gentlemen, 

I would like to share with you my unbelievable experience with Adrie. I’ve just placed the diary and a photo of Nel in front of you, because she should also be with us, I think. 

I was aware of the beauty of our culture in Japan for a long time. Therefore I became an architect. But I knew too little about another side, the evil side during the war, until I went to a conference; Dialogue, Netherlands-Japan. 

Since 2000 Adrie, Prof. Muraoka, and their Dutch and Japanese friends, organize a conference every year with the aim to promote dialogue between Dutch, Japanese, and Indonesians. Because we were once enemies, we never want to be that again. We talk mainly about the former Dutch East Indies under Japanese occupation. 

At that time I began to understand about the evil deed done by my forefathers. That was very bad. They did that only for their own benefit and they had no respect for others what so ever. And it was not just a problem of the past. After the war Japan often acts as if nothing has ever happened except a few exceptions of excuses and financial supports. I found it unbelievable and unacceptable as a human, and I became angry with my forefathers, my fellow countrymen, and myself. 

On the other hand, I discovered great Dutch people, including some members of the family Lindeijer. 

First, in a Japanese internment camp Adrie had gathered around her many boys, who lost their parents. She made it sure that they got food, which was very scarce, she gave lesson to them and she gave them a good night kiss before going to bed. These boys called her "aunt Adrie, and they still do so now. 

In 1995 she and Wim Jr. have been to Kamaishi in Japan, where her husband, Wim senior, was once imprisoned in a forced labor camp during the war. At that time he lived for years in fear for his own health and safety, and in uncertainty about the fate of his family. 

But thanks to the last words of mother-Nel, Wim junior overcame his hatred and apologized to Japanese students at various schools that he once had held a grudge against Japan. Then he and Adrie started a dialogue with them, and have built up a special friendship with them over the years. 

I found it again unbelievable but also impressive, and I wondered what I could learn here. Slowly I found the answer. Despite the evil deed of my forefathers it makes no sense to stay angry about it. 

In the Dialogue, we talk mostly about the past, but our aim is for the present and the future, to give views on hope, reconciliation, on liberation from hate, and to establish friendship and peace. The bad experiences and history should be processed and to be come to terms with, not only by the victims but also by the aggressors and their children like me. That is the only positive way out of all of that. 

I learned that from Adrie and Wim. 

Now I would like to speak to Adrie personally. 

Adrie, or my “Aunt Adrie,” 

You look to me a little younger than last week, and I like that very much. I just know that you can still hear me. You know, of course, our friend Melinda in America, who is now working on a book about the diary of your husband and about the trip of you and Wim to Kamaishi. She has just asked me to go to Japan with her for her research. Actually, that was just after you've talked to her on Skype last week. It was out of the blue, but I immediately said Yes. Thanks to you, there was no question or hesitation possible for me. You showed me the path, and the Dialogue is my path. And this book lies right on this path. According to Melinda we can see this path on a textile hanging on this front wall inside the church. 

I am also proud that I may follow the track of you and Wim from Mizumaki to Kamaishi, as a Japanese and your "nephew." 

Thank you again for all lessons. Without them I could never become a human. 

I recently have received greetings from Mrs. Kato, your friend in Kamaishi. She too will never forget about you. 

And we all wish you a good reunion with your husband Wim senior, Nel, and all other friends of the Dialogue such as Els Michielsen-Baljon, and Annie and Herman Goudswaard. 

You've done already a lot for us, but I have a feeling that we still can do much more together with all friends of the Dialogue. 

So see you later, until the next meeting. 

Thanks for your attention.