William Alexander from Holland and his wife, Queen MáximaOn a state trip to Suriname on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the country’s independence. A major visit, and a rather uncomfortable one, considering what it was … In the twentieth century, a Dutch king visited the Latin American region that was once part of its colonies.
Already in 2023, King William asked Forgive publicly From Amsterdam, on National Slavery Remembrance Day, for the slaves and the colonial past of the Netherlands, but with this visit he went one step further. He repeated the gesture in Suriname, where descendants of slaves accepted his apologies at an event where he spoke about the pain caused by their ancestors.
“We are all descendants of those involved,” the king said in a closed meeting held on Monday, as reported on Dutch television. “I’m aware of that The pain lasts for generationsComment. “Now is the time to listen to you, to hear what is happening here. “I hope to learn more about what it meant to live as descendants of enslaved people,” he said.
Beyond apologies, the king also previously wanted to participate in rituals in which this tolerance would be displayed and represented visually. He sat face to face with several leaders, grabbed a piece of rope and then released it, thus symbolically sealing it Institutional and emotional peace.
Kings greet citizens
This is the first time in 47 years that a Dutch head of state has visited Suriname. And it was the last Queen Juliana, grandmother of the current kingWhich was on the territory of Suriname in 1978, three years after the country’s independence. A visit in which he addressed the Surinamese with warm words proved insufficient for the population in the following years: “We will always be good and old friends.” In fact, they wanted to organize other visits that did not take place due to the situation in the country.
After the apology, Surinamese President Simons stressed that Suriname intends to discuss it soon with the Netherlands about resolving the problem. Recovery programFor which 66 million euros have been allocated in 2023. The political leader said about the meeting: “I am glad that the relatives spoke.” “There will come a time when we can talk about this in more depth. According to the Suriname government, the amount of 66 million does not constitute compensation. “I think the Dutch government also sees it as a gesture, if I’m not mistaken.”
Greetings to the country’s representatives at the official dinner
The visit of William Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima will continue until Wednesday, after they landed at Paramaribo Airport on Monday afternoon. Many older citizens, especially those with a lot of family in the Netherlands, were looking forward to the king’s arrival, as is the case with 72-year-old Selita Krack, whose community center was included in the king’s itinerary. He told Dutch television that everything was ready: “We will do everything we can because when you have visitors you have to give them a warm welcome. There will be music, so let’s liven it up a little because we are in Suriname.”
On Monday night, the royals also enjoyed a state dinner for which Queen Máxima chose one of her most modest outfits. With the Dutch royal family’s impressive jeweler at her disposal, she opted for a ‘band’ wreath of 27 diamonds set in a platinum case with no additional embellishments. It’s the simplest of the bunch, although that doesn’t mean it’s any less luxurious, but it’s probably the most convenient.