The Netherlands officially commemorates the abolition of slavery today

The Netherlands will commemorate Keti Koti on Saturday, the day slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. This year’s commemoration also marks the official start of the Slavery Past Commemoration year, which will run from through July 1, 2024.

This year marks the 150th anniversary since the practical abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean. On July 1, also known as Slavery Remembrance Day, the Netherlands commemorates two dates: July 1, 1863, and July 1, 1873. The first marks the official abolition of slavery in Suriname and the former Dutch Antilles by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, it took ten years for enslaved people to be fully free from being compelled to work on the plantations in Suriname.

The National Slavery Remembrance Day ceremony will be held in Amsterdam's Oosterpark at the National Slavery Monument. King Willem-Alexander will deliver a speech and is expected to formally apologize for the Dutch slave trade. Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Mark Rutte will also attend, along with a delegation from the Cabinet. The commemoration will last from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NPO1.

During the ceremony, there will be space for a limited number of invited guests. The commemoration can be followed via screens on the large field of the park. Keti Koti celebrations will take place on Museumplein this year in anticipation of a higher turnout.

Almost all ministers and state secretaries will be present at commemorative moments. Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) is in Curaçao, and his colleague, Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing), is in Bonaire. Ministers Rob Jetten (Climate and Energy) and Conny Helder (Long-term Care) will attend a ceremony in Den Bosch.

Minister Wopke Hoekstra will be in Suriname to give a speech during the national commemoration. "This is the first time since independence that the Dutch government has been involved," said Johan Roozer, chairman of the National Slavery Commemoration Committee.

For a long time, the abolition of slavery was only commemorated on a small scale in the Netherlands, often in private gatherings. In the 1990s, a committee in Amsterdam began to organize an annual commemoration, and other cities followed.