Prof. Catarina Dutilh NovaesDec 20, 2022

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
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)
@cdutilhnovaes I wonder if this would open up the possibility to discuss the dominance of Dutch in education going forward.
Dec 21, 2022 at 10:11pmWeb