In Maluku Queer & Pride, photographer Debbie Helaha portrays queer people of Moluccan descent and shares their stories. Rooted in the Leiden and Moluccan communities, she presents a series in which identity, heritage, gender and pride come together.
A new outdoor photo exhibition can be seen in the museum garden as part of Pride Leiden and the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Moluccans in the Netherlands: Maluku Queer & Pride. The people portrayed share personal stories about the courage to be visible, recognising yourself in others, and taking up space within different communities. For many, it was the first time they had stood in front of the camera in this way.
Gender and sexuality in the Pacific and the Indonesian archipelago were not always viewed through the binary norms that were later reinforced in part by colonial rule and Christianisation. The series therefore also looks further back into history. Maluku Queer & Pride invites visitors to explore this history and to look at the present with an open mind.
The kain and sarongs worn in the portraits – from the families of the photographer and the people portrayed – connect personal stories with heritage and generations. Together, they form a series about visibility and belonging, but above all about having the space to be completely yourself: Moluccan and queer.
Discover the portraits and read the personal stories of Jane, Romano, Olympia, Ida, Kenneth, Tamara and Julian.
Debbie Helaha is the creator of the photographic project Maluku Queer & Pride. Through this project, Helaha aims to increase the visibility of queer people of Moluccan descent. In her portraits, she explores the connection between Moluccan identity and different forms of gender identity and sexual orientation. She plays with traditional gender roles, leaving room for questions, wonder and conversation.
The photographs in Maluku Queer & Pride – Part 1 mark the beginning of a longer-term project in which Helaha explores the connection between a person's Moluccan heritage and their queerness.