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I Always remember Emillio Sabadel dearly, along with Barcelona. I have visited Barcelona-Spain for seven times for exhibitions and I miss the warmth.

The Grand Sagrada Familia made me admire Antonio Gaudi. And the history of spices; “ pala, cengkih, kayu manis, dan lada” created its own story filled with blood and tears of my nation. Silent thingking. To think that spices could alter the history of the world was something unimaginable fo me.

Spain and Portuguese were so close to me when I stood on Ternate – Maluku, look at Halmahera and mount Gamalama. There were Spanish and Portuguese – Sounding names everywhere.

Also at “kampung Tugu”- at the furthest corner of Jakarta we could meet another Emillio with the same skin and language as mine. There are Juan, Lucas, Lorenzo, Pedro – names that were left behind in Nusantara.

Now I arrive with every memory about Spain, Portuegese, Ternate, Maluku, and spices without any blood and tears, only the dream of an ordinary man wanting to connect with the earth in the name of love.

While enjoying the poem “Cargoes” by John Masefield:

Stately Spanish galleon coming from the
isthmus,
dipping through the tropics by the palm green
shores
with a cargo of diamond, emerald, amythysts,
topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores

John Masefield
England
1878 – 1967

So, I send peace and Love from Indonesia.

Hanafi
Depok, February 28, 2016

download:
booklet_the history of spices

foto-foto:
hanafi @houston

berita:
Pensosbud KJRI Houston