Dutch Apology For Slavery: What About Reparations?

“For centuries, the Dutch state and its representatives facilitated, stimulated, preserved, and profited from slavery. For centuries, in the name of the Dutch State, human beings were made into commodities, exploited, and abused.”- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic Transatlantic Slave Trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history. The recent apology by the Dutch Prime Minister took most of us by surprise. Those of us who have been conscious of the work of the CARICOM Reparations Commission have welcomed guardedly the long awaited apology by this former colonial power in their involvement in chattel slavery. The Dutch government was particularly involved in slavery in the Dutch West Indies. Many of us are familiar with the ABC islands of the Dutch West Indies. These islands are Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. In addition to the ABC islands of the Dutch West Indies, there are other Dutch islands such as Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Suriname. Two points stood out for me in the Prime Minister’s apology. The Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that the Dutch involvement in slavery was a, “crime against humanity” was a bold move; however was it genuine. The fact that the Prime Minister ended his statement with a comma, rather than a full stop is welcoming. This symbolism is encouraging especially as it relates to reparations. Undoubtedly, the Netherlands profited greatly from the slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries; one of the roles of the Dutch West India Co. was to transport slaves from Africa to the Americas. The Dutch did not ban slavery in its territories until 1863, though it was illegal in the Netherlands. Dutch traders are estimated to have shipped more than half a million enslaved Africans to the Americas. Many went to Brazil and the Caribbean, while a considerable number of Asians were enslaved in the Dutch East Indies, which is modern Indonesia. According to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University, the Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader. Not surprisingly, the Dutch King welcomed the Prime Minister’s apology for slavery. Willem-Alexander in his Christmas message said, “but by viewing our joint history in an honest way and by acknowledging the crime against humanity that slavery was, we are however laying the foundations for a joint future.” However, there is no mention of reparations by the Dutch King to the descendants of those who were enslaved by his family. It leaves us to wonder about this joint future to which he referred to in his speech. Suriname’s Response Suriname is a small South American nation, a former Dutch colony, where plantation owners generated huge profits through the use of enslaved labour. The largest opposition party in Suriname, the National Democratic Party (NDP), has condemned the Dutch government for failing to adequately consult with the descendants of enslaved people. The descendants of slaves say the apology is not enough and demand reparation. It should be noted that during the speech, the Dutch prime minister also announced the creation of a 200 million euro fund to help tackle the legacy of slavery and boost education about this issue. CARICOM Reparations Commission Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles issued a statement in response to the apology for African enslavement by the Dutch Prime Minister. “It has been near a decade since the Governments of CARICOM established a Reparations Commission to promote regional and global understanding of the enslavement of African people and native genocide with the objective of securing reparatory justice and development for the still suffering people of the Caribbean. With the formal apology from the Dutch Prime Minister acknowledging that the transatlantic slave trade in enchained African bodies and chattel enslavement were crimes against humanity, the reparatory justice movement has moved into a new phase. Historic though it is, the statement is flawed on the basis that the Prime Minister did not seek the organized input and support of the Caribbean. The unilateralism of the apology and acknowledgments must now move to a multilateral basis. The marginalization of these victim communities will undoubtedly be experienced as an ongoing approach steeped in the imperial culture we are seeking to replace with a deeper democratic sensibility. The Dutch State was Europe’s pioneer of the global slavery enterprise.” The CARICOM Reparations Committee statement added that for most of the 17th century the Dutch monopolized the Transatlantic Slave Trade and provided the finance and technology that enabled the English, French, Spanish and Portuguese to establish their own slave-based empires. As a result, Amsterdam became the financial centre of Europe and the leading supplier globally of capital for colonization.” CARICOM’s 10 Point Action Plan The CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) in collaboration with the Centre for Reparation Research have developed ten points outlining the route to truth, justice and reconciliation for negotiations for reparation with Denmark, France, Spain, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and other European States. 1. A Full and Formal Apology- According to Social Historian and Director of the Centre for Reparations Research Professor Verene Shepherd, a Statement of Regret is insufficient and therefore a full apology for the atrocities and suffering inflicted on enslaved peoples is a necessary component of making amends. A full apology accepts responsibility, commits to non-repetition and pledges to repair the harm caused. 2. Indigenous Peoples' Development Programmes- As a result of European conquest and colonization, the indigenous peoples within the Member States of CARICOM have been subjected to forced migration within countries to brutal work conditions and genocide. A community of 3 million people in 1700 was forcibly reduced to less than 30,000 in 2000. Their descendants remain traumatized and landless. Professor Shepherd added that the period of enslavement of Africans by the Europeans has contributed to a cycle of poverty. 3. Funding for Repatriation to Africa- The descendants of African peoples stolen from their homes, lands, peoples and cultures have a legal right of return, for unlike indentured workers, the enslaved had no contract guaranteeing the right to return or material incentives to remain. This therefore means that those European States which benefitted from the Transatlantic Slave Trade should bear the cost for resettlement. 4. The Establishment of Cultural Institutions and the Return of Cultural Heritage- After more than 300 years of African slavery the cultures of both the enslaved Africans and the Indigenous People have almost been wiped out. The restoration of historical memory through community institutions such as museums and research centres will allow the citizenry to understand that crimes against humanity were committed. These cultural institutions will also serve to memorialize their ancestors’ contribution to development. 5. Assistance in Remedying the Public Health Crisis- The centuries of poor nutrition and overly salted goods given to the enslaved have now transmitted an inter-generational tendency for hypertension. Professor Shepherd remarked that medical research indicate that there has been a physiological change in the DNA of our people over the centuries due to the poor diet and as a result many of us are now predisposed to diabetes and other lifestyles diseases. Therefore reparation could assist in alleviating the public health care crisis currently being experienced across the Region. 6. Education Programmes- At the end of European colonialism, the black, indigenous and indentured communities in the Caribbean were left in a state of illiteracy. European States which presided over this system of inequality have a responsibility to build and provide scholarship to descendants of the enslaved in Post- Slavery societies. 7. The Enhancement of Historical and Cultural Knowledge Exchanges- Colonialism was responsible for the situation where European culture was forced upon the populations who lived in the Region. This forced acculturation was based on the incorrect and racist idea that the culture of the European was superior. 8. Psychological Rehabilitation as a Result of the Transmission of Trauma- Medical research and accompanying data now demonstrate that there can be inter-generational transmission of trauma. The trauma associated with the Middle Passage as well as the brutality which the enslaved and indigenous peoples of the Region endured have affected and continue to affect the present generation. Professor Shepherd mentioned mental health which continues to be a source of concern not only for health care practitioners but for the wider society. We need to consider the impact that Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome has had on our societies and the descendants of the enslaved. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is a condition that exits as a consequence of multigenerational oppression of Africans and their descendants resulting from centuries of chattel slavery. 9. The Right to Development Through the Use of Technology- Generations of youth have been denied membership and access to the science and technology culture. Technology transfer for development is critical for CARICOM states to move from developing to developed societies. 10. Debt Cancellation and Monetary Compensation- During the Post Slavery Period CARICOM States have inherited massive debt. This serving of debt to international creditors continues to undermine the development of Caribbean Societies. As a result the cancellation of international debt and direct monetary payments where appropriate are necessary reparatory actions to make right the harm caused by slavery and colonization. Let History Judge The way forward regarding reparations could be modeled after the German model as it relates to reparations paid to the Jewish State after World War 2. There are numerous areas in the Caribbean in urgent need of development. These areas include healthcare, education, projects concerning gender equality, affordable housing and rural development. The reparations issue, and the legal and moral questions it raises, has reverberated globally. In 2010, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, offered an aid and debt-cancellation package to Haiti, opening the wounds of colonization. The CARICOM Reparations Committee has worked tirelessly over the decade in order to lobby and advocate for reparatory justice for the marginalized victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It appears that finally some fruits of their work is close at hand. However, many of us were disappointed by the muted or lukewarm responses from the heads of government of the Caribbean Region regarding the Dutch apology. In the past we had comments regarding regrets for slavery by former British Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince William on visits to Jamaica, and then Prince Charles on a visit to Barbados. On his trip to Jamaica, Mr. Cameron announced that Britain would spend $38 million from its foreign aid budget to build a prison in Jamaica where Jamaican criminals in Britain could be sent to serve out their sentences. Many Jamaicans found Cameron’s announcement offensive and the offer was not taken up by the government. For those of us who are descendants of enslaved peoples there is a glimmer of hope going into a new year 2023. History is the best judge of all things. We can be hopeful that the Dutch apology will set precedence for other European countries to follow in making right a historic wrong and a crime against humanity. The fact is no amount of money can suffice the pain and suffering our ancestors endured during the centuries of enslavement. That is why the narrative must be one in which the descendents of the enslaved have a voice. Unquestionably, reparations must be part of the way forward in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Europe's wealth was made on the backs of our enslaved. Reparations now! In the words of Sir Hilary Beckles, this is not about retribution and anger, it’s about atonement; it’s about the building of bridges across lines of moral justice Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #TransatlanticSlaveTrade #DutchWestIndies #DutchApology #MarkRutte #Suriname