Amsterdam, whose 17th century 'Golden Age' was partly financed by the slave trade, will now build a museum to "tell the whole story" of the Dutch history of slavery. The museum will open in 2030.
The Netherlands made a formal apology a bit over a year ago for its role in slave trading and exploitation, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying that the apology was "not a full stop, but a comma." He has now said the museum will be "an important part of the story after the comma."
The museum will be built on Java Island, a former port area that is now residential east of the city center, The project will receive €27 million of a €200 million fund set aside to raise awareness of the history.
The announcement, by junior culture minister Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk said the museum would be “A place where there is room for recognition, commemoration, healing, admission…not just for the relatives of enslaved people but for everyone. So also for people who think ‘ach, a slavery museum isn’t about me,’ the Dutch slavery museum is about everyone.”
Comments (0)