The Dutch king rolled into Suriname and basically said they're not gonna dodge talking about slavery during his visit to the former colony. Willem-Alexander showed up with Queen Maxima for a three-day trip, and he made it clear the painful history stuff is on the table for discussion. The royal couple plans to meet with descendants of enslaved people and Indigenous groups privately.
Some Afro-Surinamese folks are mad that the itinerary skips a wreath-laying ceremony at a slavery abolition monument in Paramaribo. The Netherlands dropped an official apology a couple of years back, and the king followed up with his version later. A study found his ancestors raked in over half a billion euros from colonies where slavery was everywhere. Suriname got independence 50 years ago, but the relationship stayed rocky under military rule for decades.
Some Afro-Surinamese folks are mad that the itinerary skips a wreath-laying ceremony at a slavery abolition monument in Paramaribo. The Netherlands dropped an official apology a couple of years back, and the king followed up with his version later. A study found his ancestors raked in over half a billion euros from colonies where slavery was everywhere. Suriname got independence 50 years ago, but the relationship stayed rocky under military rule for decades.
