Women of Amsterdam -

Do you also find it strange that women are so invisible in the story of Amsterdam? The Amsterdam Museum thinks it is high time to change this with you. Anyone can participate. The form of an ode is free. Write an ode to a woman who has meant something to Amsterdam and enrich the story! We publish all odes on this platform and include them in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum. From the most extraordinary contributions we will make an exhibition, a book and a podcast, among other things!

Ode to Twie Tjoa | Spider in the web of the (black) women's movement

By Anonymous8 maart 2025

Twie Tjoa, 2022. Foto: Martien Sleutjes, Bron: Wikimedia

Twie Tjoa is a feminist and an organizational sociologist specializing in dealing with diversity and inclusion.

Born in Surabaya (1943), first female director at the Ministry of Labor in Suriname and for years a spider in the web of the (black) women's movement in the Netherlands.

She was and is for me the great example of dealing with different cultures, connecting groups and networking. Working everywhere and always quietly in the background.

She may become much more visible.

One of the authors of the Wikipedia article about her.

About

Ode to Twie Tjoa

During the exhibition Women of Amsterdam - an ode, visitors could leave an ode. A selection has been added to this online platform.

Twie Tjoa

Twie Tjoa (b. 1943) is a feminist and sociologist. In Suriname, she was the first female director at the Ministry of Labor. In the Netherlands, Tjoa has worked in many organizations to improve the position of women, especially black, migrant and refugee women.