Suikermolen op Plantage Mariënburg 1900 - 1910

This photographic print by Eugen Klein captures the sugar mill at Plantation Mariënburg. The mill, with its machinery and labor, stands as a potent symbol of industry but also inequality. Notice the figures working with the sugar cane. This scene evokes the ancient motif of human labor intertwined with the turning of a wheel, a symbol often associated with fate and relentless toil. The wheel, as a symbol, is not merely mechanical. Think of the Buddhist wheel of life or Fortuna’s Wheel from the medieval times, each representing the cyclical nature of existence and the capricious turns of fortune. Here, the workers’ stooped postures and bare skin are stark reminders of their subjugated position, contrasting sharply with the overseers dressed in white. The act of processing sugar cane here becomes a poignant echo of humanity’s enduring struggle with cycles of labor and destiny, ever turning, with each rotation carrying the weight of history and memory.