Dutch King willem-Alexander Apologizes for SlaveryS Legacy During Historic Suriname Visit
PARAMARIBO, โSURINAME – King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has issued a formal apology for theโ Netherlands’ role in the enslavement of people in its former colonies, during a landmark state visit to Suriname. The apology,delivered in Amsterdam in July 2023,was further underscored during the โคfirst dayโค of his visit to Suriname โข- the first by a Dutchโ monarchโค in 47 yearsโค – where he met with descendants of enslaved people.
The visit, โขwhich began Monday and is scheduled to conclude โWednesday, marks a significant moment in acknowledging a painful โchapter โof shared history. “We are all descended from those who were involved,” King Willem-Alexander โขstated during the meeting, as reported by โขDutch public television NOS. “I am aware that the pain lasts for generations.” He also expressed a desire to “learn moreโ about what exactlyโค it means to live as a descendant of slaves,” focusing onโ the experiences of Afro-Surinamese, indigenous, and maroon communities – the latter being descendantsโค of escaped slaves who established autonomous settlements in the jungle.
The last reigning Dutch monarch to visit Suriname was Queen Juliana โคin 1978, three years after the nation gained independence in 1975.
The visit coincides with Suriname’s expressed desire to begin discussions regarding a โฌ66 million program allocated by the Netherlands intended to address the lasting impacts of slavery. surinamese President Jennifer Simons clarified thatโฃ while the funds are “not a reparation, but a gesture,” they representโ a stepโ towards acknowledgingโค the past.
Historically, the Netherlands forcibly transported approximatelyโข 600,000 people from africa to โขNorthโ America, Suriname, Brazil, and the Caribbean, facilitated by the West India Company. Those enslaved endured brutal conditions working on plantations โคcultivating coffee, sugar, cocoa, and cotton. While โฃslavery was officially abolished in โฃ1863, enslaved people in โคSuriname wereโ compelled to continue working on the same lands for an additional decade atโ minimal โขwages, allowing former owners to recoup perceived losses. The East India Company, a counterpart to the West India Company, transported between 660,000 and โค1.1 million people to present-day Indonesia โฃand South Africa.
The historical ties between the two โnations remain strong, with over 250,000 Surinamese emigrating to the Netherlands inโฃ the lastโ 50โ years. Currently, approximately 180,000 people born in Suriname reside in the Netherlands, benefiting from relatively easyโ access to Dutch nationality in theโข years promptly following Suriname’s independence. However, emigration became โmore challenging afterโ a military coup led, in part, by Desi Bouterse, whoโ served asโ president from 2010 โto โ2020.
