Prof. Catarina Dutilh Novaes

So something pretty big happened yesterday here in the Netherlands: Prime Minister Mark Rutte has offered a formal apology on behalf of the Dutch state for the Netherlands’ historical role in the slave trade. He acknowledged that the Dutch state had “enabled, encouraged and profited from slavery”.

The apology, including its timing, isn't perfect, but it is a watershed historically speaking.

#history #slavernijexcuses #slavernijverleden #Netherlands

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/19/dutch-pm-apologises-for-netherlands-role-in-slave-trade

Dutch PM apologises for Netherlands’ role in slave trade

Mark Rutte says Dutch state ‘enabled, encouraged and profited from slavery’ for centuries

The Guardian
Dec 20, 2022 at 7:34amWeb
Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 20, 2022

The Netherlands has traditionally had a 'forgetful' relationship with its colonial and slavery past. In the last 10 years or so, there has been more public debate & reflection on #racism in Dutch society, in particular around the figure of #ZwartePiet.

While slow and long overdue, there has been a noticeable shift in public opinion towards recognizing the long-term effects of #slavery, the persistent #racism, and traces of #colonialism in Dutch society.

Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 20, 2022
Prime Minister Mark Rutte himself has shown a noticeable change in his public positioning on the topic. (About time, given that he actually studied #History at University!) While a few years ago he stated that the whole controversy around the #ZwartePiet figure was 'silly', he later came to recognize the problematic nature of the character (to some extent at least).
I still don't like the guy AT ALL, but I applaud his change of mind.
https://www.leidschdagblad.nl/cnt/dmf20221219_55806055
Rutte: persoonlijk ingezien dat slavernij het heden beïnvloedt

Naast een maatschappelijke bewustwording en "verandering in het denken", heeft premier Mark Rutte zelf ook een omslag doorgemaakt in zijn denken over de rol van de slavernij in het heden. "Daar wil ik open over zijn", zei de premier in zijn toespraak. "Het lag achter ons dacht ik, maar ik had het mis. Het werkt door in het hier en nu." Hij noemde daarbij racistische stereotypen en sociale ongelijkheid als voorbeeld.

leidschdagblad.nl
Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 21, 2022
Since the apology by Dutch PM Rutte seems to have attracted quite some interest, here's one more interesting thing: the apology was issued in four languages. These were Dutch, English, Papiamento (a Creole language spoken in the Netherlands Antilles) and Sranantongo (a Creole language that is the lingua franca in Suriname). National newspaper Volkskrant featured the relevant sentences on its cover (pic by Nadia Bouras). More info on these languages here (in Dutch) 👉
https://stemmenvanafrika.nl/excuses-in-vier-talen/
Excuses in vier talen – Stemmen van Afrika

Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 21, 2022
The use of Papiamento and Sranantongo for the apology is of *huge* significance: for centuries these languages were looked down upon, as is typical for colonial power relations. That they are now on the front page of a major national newspaper, and to express an apology no less, is a huge watershed.
Show threadArnold Lubbers (he/him/his)Dec 21, 2022
@cdutilhnovaes I wonder if this would open up the possibility to discuss the dominance of Dutch in education going forward.
Show threadLisaClarkDillerDec 21, 2022
@cdutilhnovaes this is so encouraging for what it represents.
Show threadClockwork ☃️✒️Dec 20, 2022

@cdutilhnovaes

Will this entail compensations?

Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 20, 2022
@clockwooork Nothing concrete yet, a very small first step. But the PM himself said, 'this is a comma, not a period', meaning it's the beginning not the end.
Show threadMartin HaspelmathDec 20, 2022
@cdutilhnovaes Finally.
Show threadYogi HendlinDec 20, 2022
@cdutilhnovaes apologies are a dime a dozen. Giving back the trillions, stolen labor life and riches would be another thing.
It is a very colonial move to arbitrarily say we are going to apologize now whether or not the recipient wants an apology. I think from the perspective of those being apologized to, this is no apology at all. I hope other colonial powers do not follow this example but do much much better.
Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 20, 2022
@yogi Agreed, the politics of apology is very complex, and the way leading to yesterday's speech was very suboptimal (eg no proper consultation with those being apologized to). I hope that the next steps will go towards reparative justice, but it doesn't seem very likely at this point.
Show threadPhilipp SteinkrügerDec 20, 2022
@cdutilhnovaes remarkable.
Show threadMatthew RigdonDec 20, 2022
@cdutilhnovaes Way to rub it in the face of America which is trying desperately to find a way to elect a president who will run on a platform of "The slaves deserved it". 😞
Show threadProf. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 21, 2022
@matthewrigdon Things are far from perfect over here, this is long overdue! But it's a start, it does look like there is real movement in the right direction.