In 1602, the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and became a dominant European power for almost 200 years. After ages of trade, the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalized colony which was one of the most valuable colonies under European rule and contributed to Dutch global prominence in spice and cash crop trade in the 19th and early 20th century. The Dutch exploited the native population and implemented a strong colonial social order that was based on rigid racial and social structures. The population was roughly divided into four groups: Europeans, Easterners - such as Chinese and Japanese landowners, Indo-Europeans (the Indische community) and the indigenous people. Each group had its own status, with associated rights and obligations. In the early 20th century, when nationalism globally arose, local intellectuals began developing the concept of ‘Indonesia’ as a nation state which set the stage for an independence movement.

The Indo-European, or Indische, community thought differently about Dutch rule than the local, Indonesian population. The latter rejected Dutch presence completely, while the Indische community stood open for collaboration with the Dutch. During the Second World War, the Japanese occupied the Dutch East Indies from 1942 until 1945. Both Dutch and Indo-European prisoners of war were imprisoned and tortured in Japanese internment camps, as well as in separate camps which existed for Dutch and Indo-European civilians. After the Second World War, on 17 August 1945, Soekarno declared Indonesian independence together with Mohammad Hatta. This resulted in a four-year guerrilla warfare for Indonesian independence against Dutch colonial rule in which Indonesian nationalists fought against the Dutch forces and pro-Dutch civilians. This was also the historical period known in Dutch history as ‘Politionele Acties’ (‘Police Actions’) in reference to the two major military offensives undertaken by the Netherlands on Java and Sumatra against the Republic of Indonesia. After four years of war, the Netherlands officially acknowledged Indonesia’s independence in 1949. Between 1945 and 1968, more than 300,000 of Indische civilians (Indo-Europeans) migrated from the former Dutch East Indies to the Netherlands.

Due to the deterioration of his grandfather's health and the gradual loss of the first generation of Indonesian Dutchmen, Jeroen took the search for answers about his heritage into his own hands. He supplemented the memories of his grandfather with his own discoveries, resulting in the book "Hollandia." In this visual story, Jeroen sketches and describes the life of his grandfather from his place of birth up to and including his stay in Hollandia, Nieuw Guinea.

With this book, the illustrator seeks to challenge viewers to engage with their origins, and then work with them in their own way.