Monument commemorating The Hague's transatlantic slavery past

In the Summer of 2025 The Hague will have a monument commemorating the transatlantic slavery past. Following the advice of Stroom, the artwork will be located on the Lange Voorhout. From the three artists who made a sketch design for the monument, the City of The Hague decided, after advice from stakeholders and interested parties, that Buhlebezwe Siwani could make the final design. A municipal project group, which includes Stroom, is responsible for the accompanying process.

History
"By commemorating and celebrating, we reflect on our history." These were the words of then alderman Bert van Alphen when a motion was passed by the Hague City Council in December 2019 on the creation of a monument commemorating the abolition of slavery. With the memorial, the city wants to contribute to the collective consciousness that the legacy of the colonial and slavery past in the city calls for. In 2021, the municipality asked Stroom Den Haag, as a center of expertise in the field of such art projects, to investigate the possibilities of erecting a Monument to The Hague's Slavery Past and Colonial Heritage.

The first step to achieving this goal was the appointment of Peggy Wijntuin as project leader. She is the initiator of the Slavery Monument Rotterdam (2013) and of the research into the slavery and colonial past of Rotterdam (2020). Her experience proves of great value in the customized work the creation of such a work of art requires. In The Hague, Wijntuin first identified which people are important for the commission, organization and/or form. The partners are simultaneously the ambassadors of the future monument. From their midst emerged the Advisory Board on the Monument to The Hague's Slavery Past and Colonial Heritage: Lisette van den Berg, Marian Markelo, Lionel Martijn, Edwin Reijntjes, Henry Timisela, Amber Toorop and Annet Zondervan (chair). This committee delivere its advice to alderman Mariëlle Vavier on 30 January 2023.

More information:
>> City Council's decision on monument to Trans-Atlantic Slavery Past (dd. 21 March 2023) - in Dutch
>> Advice on Monument to The Hague's Slavery Past and Colonial Heritage (presented 30 January 2023) - in Dutch
>> Selection of books in the Stroom library on Slavery & Decolonization