They Call Me Babu

Dutch families used the word “babu” when they referred to the Indonesian nannies in their employ, during colonial rule. Their real names and their past were discarded by history and buried in oblivion. Alima, the fictional narrator of this emotionally charged documentary, gives voice to these invisible women’s countless untold stories. Alima’s recount, woven through testimonies and diaries, coincides with the turbulent period between 1939 and 1949 that witnessed WWII, the Japanese occupation of the country, and the Indonesian struggle for independence. A tale of courage, conflicting loyalties, and emancipation.