De weg van Padang naar Fort de Kock 1930s

This is an anonymous photograph titled 'De weg van Padang naar Fort de Kock'. The image presents a panoramic view of a road winding through a landscape, presumably in the Dutch East Indies. Given that the photograph depicts infrastructure constructed during Dutch colonial rule, it prompts questions about the relationship between landscape, power, and identity. Who built and maintained this road, and under what conditions? The road, while seemingly connecting two places, was in reality a tool of colonial power. The construction and maintenance of the road relied on the exploitation and forced labor of the local population. What does it mean to look at this photograph today? Can we reconcile its aesthetic appeal with the history of oppression and violence it represents? The emotional and personal dimensions of the photograph are complex.