Author: Aafke Jochems

It was summer 2011. Feroz Amirkhan became the first in his family to go to university. He was taught at home that education is important, as is standard in Hindustani circles – but he wasn’t prepared for the experience of studying at a university. That’s why he took a summer course, aimed at first-generation students, in preparation for their studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 'That week shaped me’, Feroz, now a strategy consultant at Strategy&, PwC's strategy division, says, looking back. 'One of the speakers was Tanja Jadnanansing, then a member of the House of Representatives, now the district chair of Amsterdam Zuidoost. There was someone who looked like me and was a member of parliament. That, combined with her words, inspired me. Role models of colour are so important!'

False Paradise at AFAS and on TV

Last January, Tanja Jadnanansing co-presented with Feroz during the premiere of the documentary False Paradise. In front of a packed, exuberant audience at the AFAS theater in Leusden stood the documentary makers: Feroz, his cousin Pavan Marhe and director Patrick Bisschops. The documentary was broadcast a few days later on NPO2. 'I always encounter a lack of awareness when I say that I am Hindustani’, Feroz explains. 'People in the Netherlands don't know my history or background. We didn't learn anything about it at school, even though it is part of the colonial history of the Netherlands. Fortunately, the history of slavery is now receiving more attention. But the story of the Hindustani contract workers that followed has still not been told. That underrepresented story needed to be told.'

Exploitation on plantations

This is the story of people from northern India who, after the abolition of slavery – from 1873 to 1920 – were contracted under false pretenses and transported to various places, including Suriname. There, they worked under extremely harsh conditions on newly vacant plantation plots. This included the great-grandparents of Feroz and Pavan. The cousins were born and raised in the Netherlands. 'My ancestors, the indentured labourers, were among the poorest in the world. Four generations later, I am among the richest in the world. Because of their hardships and strong shoulders, they paved the way for me. I also feel the richness of three backgrounds within me: that of India, Suriname and the Netherlands.’

Thinking in terms of impact

Feroz wanted maximum impact with False Paradise: the greater the reach, the more people would learn the story that slavery had continued in a different form -- that people would know who the Hindustani people in the Netherlands are, and what their background is. He owes this way of impact-oriented thinking in part to his years as a lobbyist and public affairs advisor at the organisations VNO-NCW and MKB Nederland, where he worked for several years after completing his master's degree in economics. ‘Because of my economic and strategic background, I also viewed it from a commercial perspective. What is the market need, and how can we address it for the greatest reach? I am demand- and impact-driven. My collaborators have a creative background and mainly focused on how you tell a story. It turned out to be a good combination.’

Mutual understanding desperately needed

The documentary has had an impact, according to Feroz: 'Hindustani people have become more visible. Our past and who Hindustani people are has finally been in the spotlight. The great thing was that other migrant groups also recognised themselves in the growing pains associated with migration. For all of Dutch society, I hope that my story connects –

that we get to know each other's backgrounds and learn how the multicultural society we have now came about. This ensures more mutual understanding and prevents divisive thinking, especially at a time when polarisation is increasing.'