An interview with Max Wattimena for the MYgration podcast series. Max came to the Netherlands in 1951 as a toddler, because his father had served in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL). The Papilaja-Wattimena family lived in camps for 19 years before they were given a house. Max now lives in Huizen. As a board member of the Happy Green Islands Foundation, he helps and supports the Moluccas

With this collaboration between the non-profit organisations; Wijdoenmee! Initiative, the Haella Fund, Correspondents of the World, and Broadcast Amsterdam aka BRAM RADIO, we want to explore the large spectrum behind the word “migration”, and the personal stories involved.

Guest: Max Wattimena
Podcast interviewer: Sarah Tekath
Language: Dutch
Podcast producer: Cathy Leung for BRAM RADIO
Recorded: September 2023
Music by Anıl Kahvecioğlu (@celestialcompositions)

If you want to discover more migration stories in the Netherlands, you can read interviews online and find out more about the MYgration project at MYgration.nl.

Public discourse around migration continues to be polarised in the Netherlands. On both ends of the spectrum, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are often spoken about in mainstream media, with resulting stories maintaining an us/them divide. MYgration seeks to bridge this divide through providing a space where people can share migratory stories in their own words and on their own terms. In doing so, MYgration offers a multi-dimensional portrait of the ‘migrant experience’.

Please help us to share these stories, however you can.  Together, we can improve the understanding of migration in our society, and the people it involves.