First proposal for National Slavery Museum could see it built on Amsterdam’s Java-eiland

The National Slavery Museum will potentially be located in a prominent building at the western end of Java-eiland in Amsterdam-Oost. The three people appointed to spearhead the project announced this preferred location on Thursday after a year and a half of research. The museum is to provide a complete picture of the Dutch colonial slavery past.

Nine possible locations were already mentioned in the capital. Besides the Java-eiland in Amsterdam-Oost, they looked at areas like Nelson Mandela Park (Zuidoost), the Zuidas (Amsterdam-Zuid), and the Marine terrain (Centre).

The three people appointed to spearhead the project, John Leerdam, Peggy Brandon and David Brandwagt, said that area known locally as the Kop van Java-eiland is a "worthy and prominent place on continuous flowing water," it is also easily accessible, and there is enough space.

The museum building should be of high quality, preferably 9,000 square meters, with an appearance that does justice to "its special content, in architecture, appearance, material, form and environment." A "visible and powerful gesture" is needed for the recognition of the slavery past, according to advisors. The trio thinks that the museum could open in 2029 or 2030.

The scouts visited several museums and knowledge institutes and held countless conversations with descendants, communities, and other experts. They wrote the advice on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the municipality of Amsterdam.

There are said to be different time slots in the museum. "The visitor can experience a part of the history in every time slot with stories and themes." There are also plans for a children's museum and an area where people can research their family history.

Following this proposal, more advice will be collected from several organizations, including the Amsterdam-Oost District Council, the national Council for Culture, and the Amsterdam Arts Council. The City of Amsterdam and the national government will then make a final decision about the museum’s construction and funding for the museum. Those decisions are expected later this year.

In his apology on behalf of the Dutch government for the country’s historical ties to the slave trade, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, “We are doing this, not to wipe the slate clean, not to close the book on the past and leave it behind us.” He elaborated on this, saying, “We not only share a past; we share a future too. So with this apology we are not writing a full stop, but a comma.”

Rutte said “the story after the comma” will be largely influenced by this specific project. “The Slavery Museum will soon have a central role in this, as a center of knowledge and dialogue.”

According to Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, these apologies have “given our country hope that there is a path to a future without racism. The Slavery Museum is indispensable for the realization of that hope.”