Indonesian Back Yard

Here you will become acquainted with aromas, colours and stories from Indonesian culture. Emanating from a cabin trunk in the garden - symbolising the journey to the Netherlands - are sounds that illustrate an Indonesian day... both in Indonesia in days gone by and subsequently in the Netherlands. Volunteers working in the garden will be happy to share your memories and theirs.

In the Dutch East Indies, a yard was the open space between a house and the outbuildings, where all kinds of domestic activities took place: cooking, laundry, washing up, drinking tea or waking up with the first coffee of the day. Today, in the Netherlands, Indonesian people often still use their gardens more like a 'yard' - as an extension of the house rather than an outside space; not neatly laid out and raked over, and maybe even a little unsightly to the eyes of Dutch neighbours and acquaintances.

The Indonesian yard is a project of the 'Foundation for Indonesian Culture', which tracks down Indonesian culture and presents it to Dutch society. Back to overview of buildings