Dutch history teachers think children should learn about slavery from the age of 7

Marjan de Groot-Reuvekamp, the head of the association of history teachers in the Netherlands, is advocating for primary schools to start teaching children about the history of slavery in the Netherlands at an early age. This includes primary school children as young as seven, who should be taught about the colonial history and the legacy of slavery, she told De Telegraaf.

“The critical approach to information about our own past is best started at an early age," said De Groot-Reuvekamp, who is trying to find new ways to approach the new civics curriculum in the Netherlands. "People are often a bit apprehensive about discussing such things with young children. But I know from experience and research that kids find history super interesting, as long as you use language they understand," she told De Telegraaf.

The debate on how to deal with the Netherlands' colonial past was evident in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's recent speech in which he apologized on behalf of the Dutch state for its involvement in slavery. In the speech, Rutte announced that the Netherlands will take responsibility for its colonial past and the Dutch government will establish a fund of 200 million euros to invest in social initiatives, to help people to process the impact of the slave trade, and to commemorate those enslaved and their descendants.

The money will also be used to create more awareness and involvement. For example, the money may be used to pay for a research program to gain more insight into the impact of the history of slavery, and discrimination as well as racism should be given a permanent place in education in the Netherlands.

Although many families wonder how best to deal with this sensitive topic so that children can properly absorb and understand it, there are several ways to do so, De Groot-Reuvekamp said. Parents can teach their children about slavery and the Dutch colonial past in an age-appropriate way through books and by visiting cultural institutions such as museums.

Several Dutch museums offer education about the slavery past. For example, the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, which has exhibitions on Suriname and at the same time educates visitors about how the people of Suriname dealt with slavery, and the lasting consequences were for the population. The Scheepvaartmuseum, the country's National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, makes colonization, racism and the slave trade visible through paintings, ship models, and other exhibits, according to the Dutch newspaper Trouw.