Zoetermeers Dagblad | The Netherlands is a pioneer in apologizing for past slavery

Although the exact date is still unclear and no official announcement has been made by the cabinet, it is certain that the Netherlands will apologize for the slavery of Suriname and the Caribbean Netherlands. Our country thus joins the select group of states that preceded us.

So far, only Brazil, Peru and Benin in Africa have officially apologised. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva did so during a visit to Senegal in 2005. Peru apologized in 2009 for centuries of “abuse, exclusion and discrimination” against people of African descent. In 1999, Benin President Mathieu Guerrego apologized to black Americans for the role Africans themselves played in slavery. In 2000 and again in 2003, a minister and ambassador to the US did this.

Belgium apologized several times for crimes committed in its colonies, most notably the Belgian Congo and Rwanda-Burundi in Africa, but did not specifically mention slavery. The United States House of Representatives and Senate have issued amnesties, as have individual states such as Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Tony Blair

Many nations have expressed regret for past slavery. Labor Minister Juan Carlos Aparicio Pérez spoke on behalf of Spain in 2001 and British Prime Minister Tony Blair did so in 2006 and 2007. Portugal, which had been one of the largest slave traders for centuries, never did. As far as known. France, with its rich colonial past in Africa and Southeast Asia, failed to do so.

Globally, various cities and organizations have issued apologies. British cities London and Liverpool and Chicago and Charleston in the US have done so, as have insurer Lloyds of London and pub operator Greene King. Annual commemorations have been held ever since in Liverpool, an important port city for the slave trade.

Getty crores

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, North Holland Province and De Nederlandse Bank (TNB) have issued apologies. Middleburg will follow suit next year during Getty Cody, an annual celebration of the abolition of slavery. In 2023, that date will be extra special because slavery effectively ended 150 years ago.

From 1621, the Netherlands became one of the largest slave traders in the world. Slavery was legally abolished in 1863, but it took another ten years for slaves to be freed.

By: ANP | Photo: ANP