Een suikerlocomotief van de Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorwegen 1900s - 1910s

This photograph shows a sugar locomotive of the Dutch East Indies Railways, captured by an anonymous photographer. The Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, was a colony exploited for its resources, including sugar, during the height of European imperialism. Here, we see the machine of colonial enterprise. The locomotive, a symbol of industrial progress, is inseparable from the history of forced labor and economic exploitation. Sugar, once a luxury, became a commodity fueled by the labor of colonized people. The railways transported sugar from plantations to ports, facilitating its distribution to the global market. This image invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between technological advancement, colonial power, and human suffering. It serves as a reminder of the human cost behind the commodities we consume and the ongoing legacies of colonialism in our world today.