#BlackInAmsterdamAdventures (Day 10)

(Top L-R A 'Keti Koto' scarf that sums up the festival/celebration, Welcome Sign to "Oosterpark" where the National Slave Monument is housed, Bottom L-R One of the elders paying homage to the ancestors that came before by the pouring of libations, Parade of women, men, and children with the 'broken shackles', statue at the National Slave Monument)

Today July 1st a special day in Surinamese and the Dutch Antilles history as it is the Keti Koto festival! "Keti Koti," a Surinamese term, which means "Broken Shackles...the chains are cut" It symbolizes the abolition of slavery on July 1, 1863 in the former colonies of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles and thus the end of an extreme dark period in Dutch history. (Although slavery was abolished by the Netherlands in Suriname and the Dutch Antilles in 1863, enslaved persons in Suriname would not be fully free until 1873, after a mandatory 10 year transition period during which time they were required to work on the plantations for minimal pay and without state sanctioned torture.

So one may ask why celebrate (this is a no brainer though) Keti Koto? It is essential to celebrate, to offer a time of reflection on the past and look ahead toward the future, celebrate freedom, equality and solidarity. In essence, when one has an enhanced knowledge of the past, it is easier to have a deeper understanding of what is needed to prepare for the future. Thus the day began with a Commemoration Breakfast where broke bread with family, friends, allies, etc. as we discussed "what it means to be free?" and "how does freedom feel in the midst of the struggles?" During and after I realized how the struggles of Blacks in the US is very much the same here in the Netherlands. We must continue to fight in order for us to really be free mind, body, and soul. Now, shortly after we would walk over together to Oosterpark for the national commemoration held in the Monument Dutch Slavery and Heritage. During the ceremony we heard remarks student activists, representatives of the Cabinet, the Ministers Plenipotentiary of Curaçao, St. Maarten and Aruba, the Ambassadors of Suriname, Ghana and South Africa and the Mayor of Amsterdam.

Now folks that know me, know that I do not celebrate the 4th of July (it's not my holiday, and at the time my ancestors were not even free, but that's another story/post) so celebrating the Keti Koto festival really resonated with me, because I felt a sense of belonging knowing that this was a true celebration of Emancipation! Although there is much work to be done in the Netherlands as it pertains to freedom and the eradication of racism (i.e. Zwarte Piet), there have been many victories. The struggle for liberation for Black people reaches far beyond our homes and communities, it is a global predicament! I am just grateful and fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to witness and take part in a celebration that is a shared experience.