The municipality is offering the famous book We Slaves of Suriname by Anton de Kom for free to interested Amsterdammers. Starting Saturday, February 22, you can pick it up at any OBA location, while supplies last. You do not need to be a member of the OBA.
This year we celebrate 80 years of freedom since World War II. It is also 80 years since Anton de Kom gave his life for that freedom. February 22 is the birthday of this Surinamese intellectual, activist, and writer.
Struggle Against Domination
In the book We Slaves of Suriname from 1934, Anton de Kom describes the struggle against colonial domination and anti-black racism. It was the first work to tell the history of Suriname from the perspective of the enslaved and the oppressed. After the abolition of slavery, significant inequality and colonial exploitation continued to exist in Surinamese society. Because of his fight against it, De Kom was expelled from the country.
Canon of the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, Anton de Kom later joined the resistance against the German occupier. He was betrayed and deported, and died in a German concentration camp on April 24, 1945. He is buried in the honorary cemetery in Loenen. Posthumously, he was awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross in 1982. In 2020 he was included in the Canon of the Netherlands: an overview of topics that every Dutch person should know about Dutch history.
Resistance of All Times
Although his voice was silenced, his message remains important. His life, work, and death show that resistance and steadfastness are timeless. Yet some resistance heroes are more well-known than others. The resistance by people of color has remained almost invisible. While they were also present. People from the colonies also fought against oppression. They already had experience with it, in the resistance against colonial exploitation.
We Slaves of Suriname
This new book is a reissue of the original text, with a new cover by artist Sidney Waerts. An essay by Mitchell Esajas (The Black Archives) from 2020 is also part of the publication. The first copy of this special reissue was presented on February 20 to the granddaughters of Anton de Kom: Thea and Els de Kom.
Amsterdam and the Legacy of Slavery
In 2021, the municipality published another book about the significant role of Amsterdam in the legacy of slavery. This book was also made available for free to Amsterdammers through the libraries. You can still read it digitally at amsterdam.nl/slavernijverleden.