Letty Kwee

Letty Kwee (1917-2008), whose full name was Laetitia, also had a Chinese name: Lim Him Nio. Around 1945, approximately 150,000 of the city of Jakarta’s 800,000 residents were Chinese. Letty was taught at a European school, where she trained to become a home economics teacher.

On 12 August 1945, Letty gave birth to a daughter, Tjoe. This was three days before the Japanese surrender that marked the end of World War Two and five days before Indonesia’s declaration of independence. This is Tjoe’s baby book. Tjoe means meek.

From October 1945, the streets of Jakarta were a dangerous place to be. The violence and terror was directed towards the Dutch, Eurasians and anyone suspected of remaining loyal to the former colonial power. In the months that followed, the Kwee family lived with the threat of violence from revolutionary militant groups in Jakarta.

On 1 January 1946, Letty wrote from the perspective of her baby daughter: ‘Between midnight and half past, I was woken up and laid under the baby table (on a mattress). Daddy, Mak and Aunt Corrie were frightened by gunshots.’ This turned out to be men firing into the air to celebrate New Year, but it was more than enough to terrify the family.

Chinese communities in Indonesia fell victim to violence throughout the independence struggle. Between 1945 and 1949, an estimated 10,000 Chinese people were killed on Java in acts of violence committed by the Indonesians and the Dutch.

In 1946, the Kwee family decided to leave Indonesia behind and seek a future in the Netherlands. In December of that year, they arrived in Amsterdam. Letty writes in Tjoe’s baby book: ‘Arrived at Joos Banckersweg 19 II at 12.30, after being driven around Amsterdam in a bus for at least two hours [...] How cold it is here in Holland.’

Kwee Tjoe Houw is the son of Letty Kwee. In his video portrait, he talks about his family experiences and his and his sister's baby book.

Watch his video portrait