WHAT IS KETI KOTI?
01/07/2020-14/07/2020

Keti Koti means “Breaking the Chains” in Sranantongo.

It is a commemoration and celebration of the emancipation of enslaved people and the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies of Suriname and the Antilles.

Celebrated on 1st July, it is a national holiday in Suriname.

Keti Koti Rotterdam has been established since 2013.

On 1st July 1863 slavery was abolished in Suriname and Antilles (abolished in Dutch East Indies in 1859).

Rotterdam was a base for many of the ships that carried merchandise produced by enslaved people. Many trades and services directly benefitted from these goods eg. Rope makers and carpenters. Rotterdam was a major port for American Virginia Tobacco produced through labour of enslaved people.

Rotterdam played a big role in Dutch slavery past, most prominently the trading of enslaved people by the firm Coopstad & Rochussen from the Lloydkwartier who transported 20,000 enslaved people between 1747-1777.

Organisations such as: The Black Archives, Mapping Slavery and Stichting Keti Koti Tafel continue to initiate conversation about the abolition and aftermath of slavery.