The book presentation was represented by Dr. Coen van ‘t Veer (lecturer at the Leiden University Center for the Arts in Society) and Drs. Jan Joanknecht (clinical psychologist, entrepreneur and family member of Dominique Berretty). In his opening speech Dr. Coen van ‘t Veer stated that today is a special day in Leiden because apart from being the 100th anniversary of the Association of Indonesian Dutch Students it is also very important for people who have an interest in the relationship between the two countries, Indonesia and the Netherlands.
“Today is a special day for Leiden University. It is an important day for people who take a close interest in Indonesian-Dutch relations. So, it is an important day for every one of us.”
further Dr. Coen van ‘t Veer said it was an honor that the Ambassador and President of the Executive Board of the University of Leiden had received an invitation to today’s event as as special as it is for him personally it is also a very special day for the bookmaker Villa Isola, Who Survives Time – Het Gebouw Dat De Tijd Doorstaat Pak Kurnia from the Indonesian University of Education who is the main author of this book.
This presentation is an answer to what R. Kurnia had done in August at the Indonesian University of Education where at that time the book Villa Isola, That Survives with Time – Het Gebouw Dat De Tijd Doorstaat was presented to Prof. Dr. Benjamin Maftuh, Deputy Chancellor of the Indonesian University of Education and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Indonesia, Mr. Lambert Grijns at Villa Isola, Bandung.
In his closing speech Dr. Coen van ‘t Veer said that from something so bad as colonialism can grow something good like the friendship between Indonesia and the Netherlands today on a personal level and on an international and academic level.
“History has intertwined Indonesia and the Netherlands. It is needless to say that colonialism was a very bad thing. But we can derive hope from the fact that even out of a very bad thing like colonialism can grow something as good as the friendships of Indonesia and the Netherlands today on a personal level and on an international and academic level as well.
On that occasion also Drs. Jan Joanknecht who is the grandson of the cousin of the first owner of Villa Isola DW Berretty before the President of the Executive Board of Leiden University and the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands stated that this book not only tells about DW Berretty and Villa Isola but is also a book that reflects episodes of Indonesian history and Dutch.
“The book is about him, about the Villa and about an episode in the history of Indonesia and the Netherlands.”
According to him, Dominique Berretty’s biographical book ‘Een groots en meeslepend leven’, written by Coen van ‘t Veer and Gerard Termorshuizen, was the beginning of a unification of the Berretty family and also inspired R. Kurnia in making the colorized book Villa Isola and hoped this book would become a new beginning of peace and mutual forgiveness between the two countries of Indonesia and the Netherlands. “Underlining the forgiveness and cooperation of both nations. Let peace rule the world!” he concluded.