Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: The Netherlands is expected to formally apologise for 250 years of its slavery, with a speech on Monday by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and ministerial visits to seven former colonies.
Rutte has described his upcoming speech in The Hague as a “meaningful moment”; however, he has not yet confirmed if he will actually apologise today, saying last week that details of his speech are “something that he would “really like to keep under wraps till Monday”.
Criticism on Dutch decision to apologise
The Dutch government’s whimsical timing in issuing the apology and the decision-making process with regards to its announcement have been criticised by groups from former Dutch colonies who complained of not being consulted about the date of the apology and claimed that the decision was made in a haphazard and rushed manner which portrayed a “colonial feel”.
The groups say they prefer the apology to be issued on July 1, 2023 – a day that marks the 150th anniversary of the abolishment of slavery in the former colonies of the Netherlands. Six Suriname foundations sought a court order to push back the date of apology to July 1 2023, when the descendants of Dutch slavery will be celebrating 150 years of liberation from slavery in an annual celebration event called “Keti Koti” (translated as “Breaking the Chains”) in Surinamese.
Dutch colonialism and slavery of Africa, South America
The Dutch enslaved and trafficked more than 600,000 Africans, mostly to South America and the Caribbean, as part of the slave trade.
At the peak time of its colonial empire, the United Provinces, today called the Netherlands, possessed colonies like Suriname, South Africa, the Caribbean Island of Curacao, and Indonesia. The Dutch East India Company was stationed in these areas during the 17th century.
Slavery was formally abolished in Dutch-occupied lands on July 1, 1863, but the practice actually ended in 1873 after a “transition” period of 10 years. Slavery commemoration groups are of the view that any apology should come on the 150th anniversary of that date next year rather than the “arbitrary” date of December 19, 2022.
