Dutch Can Offer Ideas About Amsterdam’s New National Slavery Museum

In the coming months, the Dutch will be able to offer their ideas on the content and location of Amsterdam’s new National Slavery Museum. To this end, several conferences are held in the capital, but also in other cities where past slavery plays a role, such as Groningen, Middelburg, The Hague, Rotterdam and Arnhem.

According to Amsterdam Municipal Councilor Turia Meliani (Culture), it is important that “as many groups as possible” have a say in the museum. Stakeholders can therefore also express their opinions and wishes regarding museums, buildings and places online.

Last month, two of the three so-called Quartermasters formulating plans for the museum have already traveled to Suriname and the Caribbean region of the Netherlands to hold talks with their descendants, administrators and other stakeholders. visited. This included a discussion about what story we wanted the museum to reflect. “These often emotional conversations were impactful and re-emphasized the urgency of the museum’s arrival to address and reflect on the past,” Meriani said.

Based on the Quartermaster’s work, local and central governments make the final decisions on the construction and funding of the museum, addressing and providing space for the entire past of transatlantic slavery. Nine sites are under consideration in the capital, and it was previously revealed that the museum will have 6,500 square meters of public space and be surrounded by a park. , are two of the possible locations.

Two of the three quartermasters traveled to the Kingdom’s Caribbean region and Suriname last month to discuss the contents of the planned museum with various stakeholders, according to NH Nieuws. “This trip provided an important foundation for the emergence of the Slavery Museum,” Meliani told the radio station.

Quartermasters plan to make recommendations on museum content and appropriate locations by the end of 2023.