Groningen will have two separate monuments, for both the city’s Trans-Atlantic and Asian slavery history. Researchers have also found evidence for the involvement of the city government in the slave trade.
For a long time, the municipality of Groningen tried to focus on one joint monument to the history of slavery. But that is not in line with the emotional charge that the subject has, says councilor Manouska Molema (GroenLinks) now. “They are two groups with their own story,” she explains the choice for two monuments. “And then you have to ask yourself: is it a monument for the city or for the people?”
This means that Groningen will have a slavery monument for both the slave trade of the West India Company (1671-1792) and for the slavery history of the United East India Company (1602-1800). To the delight of descendants, says Roberto Refos of Keti Koti Groningen. According to him, one monument was mainly a political wish. “I knew it wouldn’t be accepted. Two monuments do more justice to the descendants, who see no recognition in one monument.”
It is unclear when the monuments will be ready. “We choose the location in consultation,” says Molema. “The location must have history and be a place where you can hold commemorations.” Two monuments will cost the municipality extra money, Molema knows. “But we’ll see about that again.”
Also evidence for a role in VOC
Researchers from the University of Groningen and the Groninger Museum have also found evidence in their research into the slavery history of the city of Groningen for the involvement of the city government in the slave trade. Groningen’s involvement in the WIC had already been proven in the interim conclusion last year. Groningen had its own WIC office and numerous city administrators had a role in the management of the WIC and therefore also in the slave trade.
The ties with the VOC have now also been conclusively proven, the researchers say, albeit less emphatically. “The city council had a representative in the VOC in Zeeland,” says researcher Bram Tánczos of the State University. “And the city had an investment in the trading company. That is the most direct evidence for this part of the slavery past.”
The ties between the VOC and Groningen were mainly on a personal level: Groningers who traveled to Asia became rich from the slave trade and sometimes took enslaved people back to the city.
‘A lot of pain for people of color’
Councilor Jim Lo-A-Njoe (D66) is pleased that the results have been determined. He is one of the people who requested the investigation. “I know that there is pain in many people of color and I am one of them,” he explains. Lo-A-Njoe’s parents were born in Suriname. “I had no legal father and when my mother married, I was called Jim Weistra for a large part of my life. That was nice as an adolescent and young adult, because then I didn’t have to spell my name and I could be normal.”
“But that involves denial of who you really are,” he continues. When Lo-A-Njoe knew he was going to be a father, he started to learn more about who he was. “I started thinking about what I pass on and where I come from. Who I really am.” He had his name changed back to Jim Lo-A-Njoe fourteen years ago.
According to Lo-A-Njoe, the research into the city’s slavery history contributes to greater understanding of each other. “If everyone is aware of the wealth of their ancestors, we will hopefully treat each other more normally.”
The municipal council of Groningen has already announced that it wants to apologize for the role of the city council in the history of slavery. The descendants are looking for a suitable date for that moment.
Roberto Refos (60)
“The research is 100 percent of what I expected. I’m glad it’s now in black and white. But there is more than names, years and numbers. I would like to know about the personal stories of enslaved people and their descendants. These are controversial themes and you can often tackle them with personal stories. You can often tell a story with DNA or some data from the archive. When I looked into the archives, it turned out that I had European ancestors. While I come from Suriname. That was a shock to me. So it’s not all black and white. You can’t judge someone by color.”
Danette Hoyer (54)
“It surprised me that there was not such an explicit administrative involvement with the VOC as with the WIC, but that does not mean that Groningen did not benefit fully from the slave trade. Groningen residents paid taxes here and the prosperity was clearly visible here. But the research is mainly the past. It’s important, but it’s over. I especially hope that we prevent young people from being confronted with this again in the future. I come from Curaçao. Old colonial laws still apply to the Antilles. Let’s first make that relationship equal, so that we can move forward together.”
Vinny Johnson (41)
“I think this research is a historic moment. As a spoken word artist, I do a lot with the themes of slavery and racism, but I feel like Groningen is now really working with us for the first time. We stand side by side to clarify our shared past. I’m from Sint Maarten, but I know I’m not really from there. My ancestors were in Suriname and the Virgin Islands before St. Martin and probably in Africa before that. Where do I really come from? I don’t know, but this is a moment for me to find out further. A door has now been opened for me.”