On July 1st, we commemorate the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Antilles. The Keti Koti Festival also takes place on July 1st at Museumplein.
During the commemoration, we reflect on the very painful history of slavery. The commemoration ceremony starts at 14:00 and will be broadcast live on NPO 1, BVN, and NOS.nl.
Keti Koti Festival at Museumplein
The annual Keti Koti Festival in Amsterdam, where we celebrate the abolition of slavery, takes place at Museumplein. It starts at 13:00 and ends at 22:00.
Program
- 14:00 - 15:15: National Commemoration in Oosterpark
- 13:00 - 22:00: Keti Koti Festival at Museumplein
Free Heri Heri
As in previous years, you can pick up free Heri Heri on June 30 and July 1 at various locations in Amsterdam. Heri Heri is a traditional Surinamese dish. For more information about this initiative, visit freeheriheriforall.com.
Involvement
From the end of the 16th century to the end of the 19th century, Amsterdam was involved in the slave trade and slavery. City regents were part of the administration of the West India Company and the Dutch East India Company. Merchants sailed to places such as Curaçao, Suriname, India, and Indonesia, trading spices and enslaved people.
In 1873, the last enslaved people were freed. This is not as long ago as it seems. There are still people alive who knew someone who lived as a slave, such as a great-grandfather or great-grandmother.
Apologies
In 2019, Amsterdam investigated the role of the city and city officials in the slave trade and slavery. In 2021, Mayor Femke Halsema, during the commemoration, offered apologies on behalf of the city council for the involvement of the then city council in the global slave trade and slavery. The investigation is summarized in the booklet Amsterdam and the Slavery Past. You can download it for free at amsterdam.nl/slavernijverleden.
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Photo: Isaac Owusu