Jiwa Saebu

I am a Dutch-Bugis woman — words I’ve never said about myself until recently. For years, my Bugis roots lay quiet beneath the surface, as I knew little about the culture. That changed during our trip to Sulawesi. It was there that I began to connect with my heritage, guided by the material culture, crafted with care and deep tradition. In the first photo, I’m wearing a traditional 𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐠 for the 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 (wedding) of Rifyal and Anniza, relatives of ours from Makassar. The cloth shimmers with vibrant colour, its woven pattern intricate and alive. We learned the different ways to fold and wear the sarung around the waist. In the other photos, we’re dressed in full 𝐛𝐚𝐣𝐮 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭 (traditional clothing). I’m wearing a 𝐛𝐚𝐣𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐨 blouse, while my father wears a blouse tutup, sarung, and 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐤 (hat). We move gently through these ceremonies, trying to blend into the rhythm around us — yet we still stand out. Especially my sister and I. We wear the culture with care, but it’s clear: we were shaped elsewhere. #bicultural #buginese #bugineseculture #makassar #rootstravel

Mooie fijne momenten met mams en zus in Marokko 🇲🇦💜💜💜🌱🏔️☀️ Die atlas gebergte zijn toch wel echt betoverend De besprenkeling van watervaldruppels op onze toeten Een welkome afwisseling van het drukke marrakech Geniet nog na À bientôt

In the limited time we had (6 days), we took a glance at life in Marrakech. Sharing with you some of the material / immaterial culture we encountered. - Le jardin secret - Dar Bellarj, translates to the house of storks, a cultural centre. According to an old Moroccan tradition, Berber peasants think of storks as human beings who, in order to travel and see the world, temporarily adopt their birdly shape and who resume their original form on returning home. - TAKHAMT (shelter), A sea of stories by Janneke Raaphorst, Malika El Oualy, Les Mamans Douées - TEIXIT by Sara Ayoub - Moucharabieh: see but not be seen - MACMA Museum - Zellige Mosaic - Weaving crafts

Heel blij dat mijn essay 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐃𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐚𝐠𝐬𝐞 𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐭 is gepubliceerd in 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚. Dit artikel is een ingekorte versie van mijn masterscriptie (Creative Industries, Radboud Universiteit), waarin ik onderzocht hoe herinnering en het Indisch Zwijgen doorwerken in het werk van zes onafhankelijke kunstenaars van Indonesische afkomst. Hun verhalen, processen en kunst laten zien hoe stilte kan veranderen in expressie, en verleden in iets tastbaars. Dank aan Leatemia, Lopulissa, Pelupessy, Mulder & Groot en Latoel voor hun openheid en vertrouwen 💚 Te lezen in Desipientia jaargang 30 (2026), thema: Een blik op de ander. Een magazine kost €12,50. Voor meer info over het bestellen, ga je naar @desipientia_mag Ook een dank aan de redactie!

Back in 2022, we said goodbye to the last family member of our first generation. The funeral rites, steeped in Indonesian rituals, was one of the few moments that we as the third generation felt most connected to our roots. When we left the funeral we suddenly realized that it was too late to ask questions. What exactly had been the reason our grandparents had come from Sulawesi Selatan to the Netherlands? For the past three years, we dove into the story behind our bi-cultural heritage together with Noa @reconnect2innerpeace (2000), Anaïs @anais_saebu (1999), Zoë (1997), Jiwa @jeeepie (1996), Saga @sagadewisa (1996) and Eva @djaheraa (1994). We interviewed our fathers and their siblings and asked them about their youth, their upbringing and their connection with Indonesia and the Netherlands. 🎬 Five of these interesting interviews can now be seen on [Onsland.nl](http://onsland.nl/) - a platform which presents the shared history of the Netherlands and Indonesia and which connects different institutions. You can find the link to the interviews in our bio. It has been a particularly unique experience to do this project together as cousins and to learn more about our fathers, aunts and uncles - and, ultimately, about ourselves. A special thanks to @indischherinneringscentrum for putting the interviews online! And @dammeskieft for the camera gear 🎥✨ Our research continues, we are curious to see where else it will take us 🌱🌿🌳

Currently in hibernation mode 🥶😴, looking back at travel photos I made in the beginning of 2025 in Sulawesi Selatan🌞🌱🇮🇩

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Nu de herfst is aangebroken kijk ik graag terug naar zonnige vakantiekiekjes uit Lisboa 🇵🇹🌞 het was onze eerste keer in Portugal en onze tiende jubileum 💕 de stad van de zeven heuvels heeft ons verrast, met honderden trappen en daarop aansluitende uitzichten, seafood en Afrikaans eten, vintage markten, velen tegeltjes en bourgondisch doen op terrasjes. Tijd voor soup & spooky season.

June hours can be as elastic as rubber. Also, taco’s, summer outfits, making cyborg wear, my aunt threw a mythical birthday party and parasol ⛱️🌞🍉

Malino, February 2025. First trip away from Makassar in the small hill town Malino located in the Gowa district together with tante Ija and Murhalik. It was cute but relatively cold, and ofcourse we only brought a sarung with us to keep us warm. Soft sun rays shine through the pines and we breath in the fresh mountain air. Ija buys us sweet rambutan fruit on the road and on the way back we find us some markisa lemonade 🤤

It has been a week since I returned from Sulawesi, Indonesia and it’s still on my mind... For 6 weeks I was immersed in the Buginese and Makassar spheres. It is the place where my roots are, my Buginese ancestors. The reason it was very special is because it was the first time traveling to this island and meeting family. For sure, it was a culture shock at first, but in the end I felt that connection. I will cherish these memories forever 🫰🏼🫰🏼🫰🏼these videos are a juxtaposition of the calming nature of Sulawesi and the busy streets and events in Makassar🌴🌸🚐🏙️🪭

Developed some analogs from Spain, September 2024. Can’t wait to bring my cam to Indonesia soon 🇮🇩