The name Max Havelaar stands for fair trade products from the southern part of the world such as coffee, cocoa, bananas, and other exotic fruits. That is well known. But who was this Max Havelaar?
So much in we know: it is a novel character. Its creator was born in Amsterdam (NL) 200 years ago, on March 2, 1820.
Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887) was a colonial official and tried to combat the exploitation of the local population in Lebak, on the Indo-American island of Java. Unsuccessfully though. When he was to be transferred, he submitted his dismissal instead and in 1960 wrote his novel “Max Havelaar or the coffee auctions of the Dutch trading company” under the pseudonym Multatuli. In it, he denounces the grievances in the colony. The book has been translated into over 40 languages and the name Max Havelaar still stands for fairly traded products today.
So now we all know who this gentleman is or was and what he represented!
