Elmina Java Museum
The Elmina Java Museum is a museum in Elmina, Ghana, the history of the so-called Belanda Hitam dedicated. The Belanda Hitam were soldiers in the former Dutch possessions on the West African Gold Coast, which are summarized today as Dutch Gold Coast, were recruited for the Koninklijk Nederlandsch - Indian Leger in the 19th century. The museum was founded by the Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation.
History
Since Arthur Japin 1997 The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi published, the history of Belanda Hitam has reached a wider public. Ineke van Kessel, professor at the Centre for African Studies at the University of Leiden had the now deceased Edward Ulzen met during her research on the history of Belanda Hitam and had come through him in contact with his son Thaddeus Patrick Manus Ulzen, of the 10 September 2000. meeting of the descendants of Belanda Hitam in Schiedam in the Netherlands visited. Ulzen had informed on the occasion that he was looking for a place for a permanent museum to preserve the history of Belanda Hitam decision on his family. In 2003, the Elmina Java museum was opened, which is to remember in particular on the history of Belanda Hitam in general and the history of Ulzen family.
The Ulzen family
The Ulzen family leads back their origin to January sleeves, a Dutchman from Brielle, as an employee of the Dutch West India Company came to the Gold Coast 1732. A year later he died, leaving his son Roelof sleeves, which he had brought from the Netherlands, as an orphan back. Roelof sleeves was then raised on the Gold Coast of staff of the Dutch West India Company and made a career in local government, possibly as the ruling governor of the Dutch Gold Coast from 1755 to 1758.
1765 sailed Roelof sleeves after 29 years of service in the Netherlands together with his son Hermanus, a mulatto. Roelof died on the ship before he had reached the Netherlands and settled so in turn his son as an orphan back. After studying in the Netherlands sailed in 1779 back to the Gold Coast and to his grandson Manus Ulzen, who had meanwhile been recruited for the Koninklijk Nederlandsch - Indian Leger.
Thaddeus Patrick Manus Ulzen was about his family history, a 2013 book entitled Java Hill: out A nation 's evolution through ten generations of a family linking four continents: An African Journey.