Amsterdam Mayor’s Speech, Historical Apologies, Emotion, Engagement, Reflection; Today was a special day! “We are one step closer to a remembrance and celebration that does justice to our common past. One Sweet Manspace! The latter is Sranantongo for “Good Liberation Day”. On July 1, 158 years ago, the Netherlands abolished slavery in Suriname and the Caribbean part of the kingdom by law. This day is known in the Netherlands as Keti Koti, but it is also called Manspasi.
Akwase is also happy with Halsema’s apology. “If you look at my speech 6 years ago and look at it now, I see that we are taking steps,” wrote artist and founder of Omroep ZWART. This year it will be included in the books, Amsterdam. Well done. After all, every step forward is a step in the right direction.
Rapper Ronnie Flex is mainly expressing his lack of understanding of the anger surrounding the apology, which has also pervaded social media. “You really don’t understand why people have such negative feelings about an apology.. in my mind, I turn the tables and wonder how it would make me feel to make those apologies.. I would be nice to her even though it was 3000 years ago.”
Radio station FunX started a petition a week ago to make Kitty Koti a national holiday and a day of remembrance. It has already been signed about 55,000 times. In addition to National Day and Memorial Day, they ask the government to formally apologize for the Dutch role in transatlantic slavery. Amsterdam is the first municipality in the Netherlands to offer an official apology. Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam are also considering doing so. British cities such as London, Liverpool, Chicago and Charleston in the United States already predated Amsterdam.
