Bung Tomo. The Revolution of 1945 (2023)

At the end of 1945, desperate attempts were made in Indonesia to restore the Dutch colonial regime. In the East Javanese city of Surabaya, the people are revolting. Their resistance is encouraged by 25-year-old Sutomo (1920-1981), also called Bung Tomo, who becomes one of the most famous radio makers of that time. The arrival in Surabaya of the British Army, aiding the Dutch, results in a bloody city-guerrilla. On November 10, the city is bombed. Bung Tomo is considered a national hero to Indonesians, but in the Netherlands he is known as a war criminal. Here he is held responsible for the so-called ‘bersiap’, the term with which Dutch historians refer to anti-colonial violence of Indonesians. In Bung Tomo, Marjolein van Pagee unravels this controversy.

Publisher Omniboek: https://www.omniboek.nl/boek/bung-tomo/
Publication date: November 2, 2023
Paperback €23,50
Book launch: Thursday November 9, 2023, at 20:00 De Balie, Amsterdam
Language: English
Link livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzFU9bj95f8

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