One in eight current Rotterdammers has ancestors that were once enslaved in the Atlantic area, more than in any other Dutch city. This has emerged from research by the Royal Institute of Language, Agriculture and Ethnology (KITLV) commissioned by the municipality of Rotterdam, which was presented on Saturday.
The report describes how Rotterdam, as a partner of the VOC and WIC, has been actively involved in colonialism and slavery for centuries since 1600. The first Dutch slave ship had a Rotterdam connection and the trade on the Dutch East Indies in the nineteenth century contributed greatly to the growth of Rotterdam into a world port, lead researcher Gert Oostindie.
Rotterdam also had a share in about 10 percent of all Africans shipped by the Dutch. One in eight current Rotterdammers has ancestors that were once enslaved in the Atlantic area, more than in any other Dutch city.
‘Rotterdam was up to his ears in slavery’
“Rotterdam was up to its ears in slavery. Its legacies are in those same ears, now is the time to start listening to each other”, is one of the findings of the research into the colonial and slavery past of the city. .
KITLV carried out the two-year study on behalf of the municipality of Rotterdam. The results were handed over to Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb and former PvdA councilor Peggy Wijntuin on Saturday. She submitted the adopted motion to thoroughly investigate Rotterdam’s colonial past.
Rotterdam alderman Bert Wijbenga of Integration and Society says he acknowledges the urban history of colonialism and slavery and the current deprivation. For example, the Commission has adopted an action plan against racism, resulting from discussions with representatives of the black community in Rotterdam. The Rotterdam city council is also calling on the government to launch a national research program into the national slavery history.
Aboutaleb: ‘Report makes history more complete’
Aboutaleb is happy with the report. “It makes the history of the city a bit more complete. I have been mayor for twelve years now and stories are still coming up. That is good too. A city that does not know history cannot move forward”, says Aboutaleb.
He thinks the cabinet should start making excuses. That is a step further than last summer’s regret. The descendants of enslaved people would then have to accept those excuses and there should be a gesture in the form of a national slavery museum, similar to the Jewish Historical Museum, Aboutaleb says.
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