Keti Koti 2023 in Zoetermeer: ​​this is the program

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Saturday, July 1, 2023 is an important day of remembrance for Zoetermeer residents. On that day, slavery came to an end exactly 150 years ago. This celebration is also called Keti Koti, which is a Surinamese term for ‘broken chains’. Why are we celebrating Keti Koti 2023 in Zoetermeer? And how? You can read that here.

The official kick-off of Keti Koti is on Saturday, July 1, 2023 during the National Commemoration of Dutch Slavery History. The national commemoration will take place at the Monument of the Dutch Slavery Past and Legacy in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam. Commemoration moments and festivities also take place in other major cities, including Zoetermeer.

The abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Caribbean islands officially took place on July 1, 1863. Still, enslaved people sometimes had to work on plantations for another ten years. That is why slavery did not really stop for many in the then Kingdom until 1873. On July 1, 2023, that will be 150 years ago. (Source: central government)

Why Zoetermeer?

In addition to South Holland cities such as Rotterdam and The Hague, Zoetermeer also reflects on the abolition of slavery. Why? A large part of our community is of Surinamese or Antillean descent, namely about 20 percent. That amounts to more than 20,000 Zoetermeer residents. The slavery past lives on in all these people; the stories have been passed down from generation to generation and are therefore part of the collective memory of our young city. An important reason, therefore, to commemorate and celebrate Keti Koti in Zoetermeer. (Source: SHS)

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This artwork hangs outside Castellum Palensteyn. The text “Don’t let the past live on in the present” refers to modern slavery, such as child labor and forced prostitution. | Photo: SHS Zoetermeer

Program Keti Koti 2023 in Zoetermeer

In Zoetermeer we celebrate Keti Koti on Friday 30 June, so that everyone can go to the national commemoration in Amsterdam on 1 July. Activities will take place at Castellum Palensteyn from 15:00 to 20:00. Below you can see the program from hour to hour.

  • 3 p.m – Muziekvereniging Buytenrode kicks off the commemoration with various Surinamese and Caribbean songs that they have prepared especially for Keti Koti.
  • 3:40 pm – A ritual indigenous blessing takes place.
  • 16.00 hours – Mayor Bezuijen and Minister of Social Affairs Karien van Gennip lay a wreath, followed by two minutes of silence.
  • 4:30 pm – The minister, mayor and Diane Vlet, the chairman of Stichting Herdenking Slavernijverleden Zoetermeer, will give speeches.
  • 4:45 p.m – The party starts! Different types of performances pass by. There is singing, dancing and reciting.
  • 7:15 pm – The modern Latin band Masalsa closes the day with South American songs.

Do you have any questions about Keti Koti 2023 in Zoetermeer? Send an email to the organizer of the Slavery Past Commemoration Foundation (SHS): [email protected].

Commemoration of red slaves

This year, SHS draws special attention to the indigenous peoples who already lived in Suriname before the colonial oppression. They are also called ‘red slaves’. They waged their own eleven-year Red War against the Dutch colonizer. After a peace agreement was signed in 1686, many indigenous people were still forced to work on the plantations. And even Suriname’s independence in 1975 did not entail fundamental rights for the red slaves. So that battle is still going on. You read more about it the foundation’s website.

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