![]() ![]() ![]() Moreover, in the 18th century, today’s Suriname and Guyana also became prominent markets from where the Dutch bought slaves. The study also highlighted that the Dutch role in the transatlantic slave trade involved exploiting about 550,000-600,000 Africans. Through the Dutch West India Company (WIC), the Dutch Empire began colonising large parts of land in South America and the Caribbean, and bought slaves from Africa to work on the sugar, cotton and coffee plantations of these lands.Īccording to a study by Leiden University, “between 16, the Dutch operated from some 10 fortresses along the Gold Coast (now Ghana), from which slaves were shipped across the Atlantic”. The Netherlands’ involvement in slavery began in the 17th century when the transatlantic slave trade was already being carried out by other former European colonial powers like Spain and Portugal. While this apology is the first step, the government should do more,” he added. “I’ve been to Suriname myself and I’ve seen how the Black community, especially the Creole people who are descendants of Dutch slavery, still suffer from the past. “Will the government invest in the countries they stole money from? What are their plans to support all the descendants of former slaves who are still struggling?” de Bie, who is based in Amsterdam and works part-time at the Anne Frank House, asked. “While this acknowledgement is also a form of investigation to understand what exactly happened in the past, it is also important to question what the next step looking into the future will be,” he said. Basically, everything that the Netherlands stole from the former colonies, especially Suriname, they carried out through slavery,” Colin de Bie, 27, with Dutch and Surinamese roots, told Al Jazeera. “All of this definitely gives a form of acknowledgement that finally the country, which is still a democratic monarchy, is ready to talk about the past. Johan Roozer, chairman of the Surinamese National Commemoration of Slavery Remembrance Committee told reporters last week that Rutte probably wanted to stick to this date because of the “changing political situation” in the Netherlands, with far-right Dutch political parties against the apology.Īccording to local media reports, the government also plans to announce a 200 million-euro ($212.8m) fund to promote more awareness about the Netherlands’ role in slavery and another 27 million euros ($28.7m) to open a slavery museum. Johan Roozer of the Suriname National Commemoration of Slavery Remembrance Committee speaks to reporters in The Hague They would prefer the apology to be issued on J– a day which marks the 150th anniversary of the Netherlands abolishing slavery in its former colonies.īut Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters in the Hague last week that a “significant moment” on this issue will take place on December 19. The formal apology is set to be issued on December 19 and is expected to redress how the Netherlands exploited more than 600,000 people who worked as slaves in its former colonies.īut groups from former Dutch colonies like Suriname in South America have criticised the Dutch government’s whimsical timing in issuing this apology, highlighting that they were not consulted about this date and also felt the decision was made in a haphazard and hurried manner. In an effort to come to terms with its colonial past, the Dutch government is expected to apologise for the Netherlands’ role in 250 years of slavery. ![]()
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