Dobonsolo

The old lady who distributes wealth from Java to Papua. The famous ship Dobonsolo sails from the Indonesian capital Jakarta to the port city of Jayapura in Papua in eight days, with six stops in between. On board, thousands of packed passengers carry their own language, culture and history; yet they also feel Indonesian. Text written by Noel van Bemmel/de Volkskrant.

Captain Dominggus Supriyanto. The 64-year-old skipper – white uniform with four gold stripes on his shoulder – was already there when the ship was collected from a German shipyard in 1993. He taps the steering wheel with two fingers. "Everything top quality."

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