THE HAGUE - The Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are awaiting a concrete conversation on how to give substance to the slavery past and its subsequent consequences for the people. This was indicated on Friday during the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) in The Hague.
The delegations considered the plan to build a national slavery museum in the Netherlands a good initiative but asked how the Dutch-Caribbean aspect of the slavery past would be addressed, what the focus would be, and how the issue of inequality between the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom would be addressed.
The initiators of the new National Slavery Museum, John Leerdam and Peggy Brandon, provided explanations about the preparations for the museum in Amsterdam, which is expected to be ready by 2028 or 2029, and answered the many questions from the members of the Parliaments of the four countries who were sitting in the plenary hall of the Second Chamber on Friday.
"Normally, you organize an exhibition or build a museum for a collection of objects. In this museum, the story is central," said Brandon, who, together with Leerdam, visited all the islands to engage in conversations with people about their wishes and expectations. "We want to hear what people want to see in the museum and how they want to be represented in the museum," says Leerdam.
Involvement
The Members of Parliament were generally positive, but there were concerns about the involvement of the islands. "What about the residents, the descendants of the enslaved people? They cannot go to Amsterdam, to the slavery museum. It is important to strengthen local museums," said MP Roderick Hoek of the MEP faction in Aruba. Dutch Senator Paul Rosenmöller of GroenLinks asked about the possibility of establishing branches of the slavery museum on the islands.
MPs Giselle Mc William of the MAN party in Curaçao, Marisol Lopez-Tromp of the MAS party in Aruba, and Shainily Tromp-Lee (Member of the European Parliament, Aruba) emphasized the importance of education. "We need the resources to bring our education to a certain level. That is the only way to achieve lasting attention to the slavery past," said Mc William.
MPs Rolando Brison of the UP party in St. Maarten and Sheldry Osepa of the PNP party in Curaçao asked about the content of the National Slavery Museum. Osepa wanted to know if there would be special attention given to heroes of the slavery era, such as Tula.
Brison asked if there would be a role for slave owners. "Philipsburg is named after a man who earned a lot from the slave trade. And there is an alley in Philipsburg named after a governor from the slavery era, Van Romondt. What will the role of these figures be?"
Leerdam and Brandon responded that there would certainly be a focus on education, for example, through a digital program with information in Dutch, Papiamento, and English. The National Slavery Museum will actively collaborate with local museums, such as the Tula Museum in Plantation House Knip in Curaçao.
Resistance heroes and freedom fighters from all the islands will play a central role in the National Slavery Museum. Therefore, not the slaveholders, emphasized Leerdam and Brandon. "It will not be a museum of Eurocentric nature with space for these kinds of people," said Brandon.
Remembrance
The debate on Friday was also used for a broader discussion about the slavery past and the enduring effects of this part of shared history. MP Miguel Mansur of the Accion 21 party in Aruba pointed out that residents of San Nicolas, who are predominantly black, have fewer opportunities than people in other parts of Aruba.
MP Tromp-Lee of Aruba mentioned the relationship with the Netherlands and the fact that The Hague imposes decisions on the islands, such as the Kingdom Act on Financial Supervision or linking the resolution of the ENNIA situation to a more favorable interest rate for refinanced loans. "We can see that as the ongoing consequences of slavery," she said.
Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel of St. Maarten did not hold back in criticizing the Netherlands for its slavery past.
"Slavery is a crime. This has been admitted, and apologies have been offered. Committing a crime has consequences. If you commit murder, you go to prison. It is not enough to lay flowers on the victim's grave every year," he said, referring to the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the slavery monument in Amsterdam on Emancipation Day, July 1st.