From Anton de Kom to Tan Malaka, from the LOSON to the Partai Komunis Indonesia, across the Global South, communists have risen up against 20th-century colonialism. Adapting the lessons of Marxist political thought to their own context, ‘slightly stretched’, in the words of Frantz Fanon, they created their own decolonial communist traditions. Traditions that can be placed in an older, larger history of resistance against colonialism and slavery. Yet these links are seldom mentioned today. After WW2, communists in the Global South were suppressed by a global campaign, led by the United States, that killed millions. During this evening, we will resurrect the lessons that these campaigns tried to bury. Are these lessons still relevant for decolonial struggles today? Join us for a talk with a wide variety of researchers and activists who will shed light on decolonial Marxism.
About the speakers
Artien Utrecht came to the Netherlands from Indonesia when she was twenty years old. She worked for 24 years on rights-related issues with the development organisation Hivos. She also took part in the Organizing Committee of the International People’s Tribunal 1965 (IPT1965 or the Tribunal) held in The Hague in 2015, which dealt with the anti-communist massacres of the Western-backed Suharto dictatorship. She currently writes political and literary essays and is co-founder of Watch65, a Netherlands-based association that advocates for the recommendations of the Tribunal.
Serda Nehirci is a Kurdish journalist, translator and political activist. Since 2005, she has been active in various organisations such as the Federation of Workers from Turkey in the Netherlands (HTIF), Radical Solidarity and Democratic Force Unity. She is currently organising and producing the series of meetings True Counterpower at the Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven.
Phaedra Haringsma is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Amsterdam. She received her master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics in 2022. Her dissertation examined the revolutionary contributions of the Black Marxists Anton de Kom and Otto and Hermina Huiswoud to international political thought. For De Correspondent, she investigates how colonial history shapes today’s societies. She is also involved in the research project Decolonial Futures at the University of Amsterdam, and she gives tours at The Black Archives. Her first book, on the Saamaka maroons of Suriname, will be available early 2025.
Kenneth Soeleman – born in Paramaribo – came to the Netherlands at a young age and was active for the National Organization of Surinamese Organizations in the Netherlands (LOSON), which was focused on nation building in the struggle for national self-determination (independence) of Suriname and the struggle in the Netherlands against the racist divide-and-conquer politics such as the “Spreidingsbeleid” (Spreading Policy) and in the area of housing including the squatting action in the Bijlmer. Kenneth has also been active in the Anti-Apartheid movement (Azania committee), against the war in Vietnam, and in the anti-colonial struggle of the peoples of Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau. Today, Kenneth is active for the trade union FNV and in various networks on climate, anti-racism/fascism and organizing solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people.
Chris de Ploeg, who will act as moderator, is an organizer, journalist and author. He is co-founder and core organizer at Aralez, a grassroots organization for decolonization, and at Arts of Resistance, a coalition bridging social movements and the arts. Chris just published a new book, The Great Colonial War, on the colonial roots and aftermath of WW2, paying particular attention to the anti-communism of fascist and (neo-)colonial politics. You can find his work on his website: https://www.chrisdeploeg.com/
