On Monday, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, made a formal apology for his nation's historical role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Netherlands, which was then a major maritime power, was heavily involved in the slave trade between Africa and its Caribbean colonies, as well as Suriname. Rutte's apology came after a long and at times awkward debate over how it should be carried out. Rutte made his apology in a speech Monday in the Hague while government officials met locally with the Caribbean region islands/nations involved.
The full text of Rutte's apology can be accessed here. (Hat tip NL Times)
At the same time, the Dutch government is announcing steps to further the study and recognition of the slave trade. July 1, 2023 will be the first day of commemoration of the slave trade. That date will mark the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands.
The below article from yesterday's Aruban daily, Diario in Papiamentu is translated by Fousesquawk. Tula, who is mentioned in the article, was the leader of the 1795 slave revolt in Curaçao that was brutally put down by the Dutch. Tula himself was tortured to death. A statue in his honor stands on the beachfront site where he was executed.
A personal note:
In 2002, I published a book on the history of the Papiamentu creole language, which is spoken in the Dutch Antillean islands of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. (The Story of Papiamentu; A Study in Slavery and Language, University Press of America) Papiamentu is one of many creole languages that were born of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is a mostly Spanish/Portuguese-based creole with some Dutch and African vocabulary and other influences mixed in. My interest in writing the book came from my own study of Papiamentu and the fascinating and still debated origins of the language itself. In order to conduct the proper research, I needed to also learn to read Dutch since most of the literature on Papiamentu comes from Dutch sources.
https://diario.aw/categories/noticia/general/disculpa-di-gabinete-hulandes-pa-pasado-di-sclavitud
Apology from Dutch Cabinet for Slavery Past
12-20-22
Oranjestad (Aruba). This afternoon during a speech, Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for the actions of the Dutch nation in the past, for the death of all those slaves worldwide who suffered due to the slave trade, to their children, and all those descendants up to the present day.
The Prime Minister expressed his apology at the National Archives in the Hague in the presence of representatives of organizations who stand for the recognition and consequences of slavery. In Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, members of the Cabinet are engaging locally with organizations and authorities involved concerning the meaning of the apology at the end of his speech.
Prime Minister Rutte:
"We are doing this, and doing it today standing at the cusp of an important year of commemoration, we can find a way forward together. We not only share the past. We also share the future. So today, we are putting a comma, not a period."
The Prime Minister's apology and conversations with members of the Cabinet, on the other hand, is an important part of the reaction of the Cabinet to the report, Chain of the Past, presented in July 2021 by the advisory council of the group, Past Dialog on Slavery. Within this, the Cabinet received a recommendation to recognize, offer an apology for, and reparations for slavery in the Kingdom. The response of the Cabinet to the report was sent to the First and Second Chambers today.
At the end of the speech, the Prime Minister, together with the three vice premiers, Kaag, Hoekstra, and Schouten, as well as Ministers Bruins-Slot and Dijkgraaf entered into a conversation behind closed doors with those present.
Reaction of the Cabinet
The Cabinet has made 200 million euros available for measures in the areas of awareness, involvement, and study. The programming and destination of funds are being developed in conjunction with the descendants of those affected.
In addition, the Cabinet is proposing to set up an independent committee of commemoration. The committee of commemoration will make sure that in the years to come, there will a large and dignified commemoration for the past slavery on July 1, together with the Caribbean segment of the Kingdom, Suriname, and other nations. The Cabinet wants to use the coming commemoration year 2023, together with social groups and the foundation of the Committee of Commemoration, to see how the annual commemoration remains organized ever grander, more dignified, and annually in a cohesive manner.
The 2023 commemorative year, which will begin July 1, 2023, will consist of a number of big events throughout the entire Kingdom. The King himself feels personally involved in what will be the theme and what will be presented on July 1 at the commemoration and celebration in Amsterdam. The coming year of commemoration will provide a lot of space for social, cultural, and educational initiatives within the community.
The next steps
The Cabinet sees today's apology as a first step. Aside from the apology, the Cabinet is announcing in its response, its intention to give the past of slavery a strong position in education, at a point where young people come in contact with history.
The Cabinet is putting the same force to increase knowledge and consciousness by means of maintaining and developing museums, archives, and protection of cultural heritage, as much in the Netherlands (European) as in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and other affected countries.
Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are deciding on their specific wishes in these areas. The Cabinet is contributing in the development of a national museum of slavery along with an associated center of knowledge. The further study of the past years of slavery will produce necessary data in these institutions. It will also make the process of changing family names related to slavery easier.
As for the hero of the Curaçaon resistance, Tula, the Cabinet has announced an official rehabilitation in his honor. The funds will also make possible the rehabilitation in honor of other heroes of the resistance in an adequate manner.
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