[Nettime-nl] DODENHERDENKING 4 MEI 2013: "Don't cry for us Maxima"

[Tjebbe van Tijen via Chello <t.tijen@chello.nl>]

4 MEI 2013 DODENHERDENKING (*)
fourth of May commemorating the death at the National Monument for the victims of World War II at the Dam square Amsterdam.

The white scarf that emerges through the basement of the Dutch National Monument for the Victims of WWII, is the symbol of the 'Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo' who have been demonstrating against the organised disappearances of their children and grand children since the days of the Dirty War in Argentina, 1976-1983. The number of victims of this war range from 10.000 to 30.000 and the demonstrations of the mothers and grand mothers continues to this very day, as many disappearances have still not been solved, children have been kidnapped from their original parents and some still are discovering that their actual parents are not their real parents. Jorge Zorreguieta has been able to evade persecution till this very day.

The tableau picture and full documentation with footnotes and links can be found at

http://flic.kr/p/egEBE2



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(*) For non-Dutch readers this further explanation. 

Wikipedia summarises it as follows: "Remembrance of the Dead (Dutch: Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II." 

The meaning and shift of meaning of this national commemoration are problematic though. Was the colonial war fought by the Dutch in Indonesia (the Dutch use the euphemism 'Politionele Actie"/police action, a peace keeping mission then? This also because the Dutch Royals never have involved themselves with public repentance for committed crimes of the Dutch colonial forces, neither in the colonial past, nor in the post Word War II repression of the national Indonesian insurgence. (1)

Also the Dutch participation in the Korean War in the fifties is now when the Cold War is over, something that can be seen in another light, certainly not a peace keeping mission.

The peace role of the Royal family became with the marriage of the Prince of Orange Willem Alexander with the daughter of a member of the military dictatorship in Argentina, Jorge Zorregueita, a debated issue. Especially so because at first the Prince waved away the historical research presented on the deep involvement of the father of his future wife. (2) It was only after many years of pressure that an actual 'persona non grata' policy has been instituted by the Dutch Royal House for Jorge Zorreguieta. 

A protester against the attitude of denial of the Dutch prince in the year 2002, on the same Dam square in Amsterdam, at the eve of the official marriage ceremony in the Nieuwe Kerk, also situated at that square, has been arrested, intimidated and kept in custody for a long time in that year. This man was an Uruguayan who had received political asylum in the Netherlands because of his opposition against a similar military regime in his own country. (4)

Only recently and just indirectly has Maxima Zorreguieta - now declared Queen of the Netherlands -  given some signs of understanding that her father should be always out of the picture in relation to any official appearance or ceremony. 

It is only a few years ago that Jorge Zorreguieta was photographed during an official concert evening in Amsterdam amidst many royals and Dutch government figures, waving to photographers. (3)
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