YVONNE VAN GENUGTEN
Drs. Yvonne van Genugten (1963) studied Indonesian languages and cultures (MA Business in Indonesia) at Leiden University. After her graduation, she studied at Padjadjaran University in Bandung for 1 year (1988) . From 1989-1998 she worked at the Southeast Asian Projects Division of Leiden University. The main projects co-ordinated were: the Indonesian Linguistics Development Project (ILDEP), the Indonesian-Netherlands Cooperation in Islamic Studies (INIS) and the Irian Jaya Studies Project (IRIS). These were all projects in cooperation with Indonesian Counterparts. The activities were amongst others the exchange of students and researchers, the organization of bilateral conferences, the translation of Dutch scientific literature into Indonesian.
After two appointments as a manager at HTM Selected Services and the Royal civil law notary association in The Hague, Yvonne van Genugten became director of the Indies Commemoration Centre (IHC, Arnhem) in November 2009:
“As director of the IHC, I would like to underline the strength of relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands. We want to increase the knowledge of the public about our shared history. It is important not only to look back, but to learn from history in a forward looking way. Indonesia and the Netherlands can benefit from their historical bond. Mutual understanding opens the way to new challenges and opportunities.
Personally, I am closely committed to the shared bond and shared history of Indonesia and the Netherlands. My mother was born in Pekalongan (Central Java) as child of an Indo-Dutch family. They came to the Netherlands in 1952. I was raised as a child of two cultures.”
