Exhibition 'Chained Image. Coevorden's slavery past' in City Museum Coevorden
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the consequences of Dutch colonialism and its slavery past. Traces of this turbulent history can also be found in Drenthe and Coevorden, many of which remain unknown to this day.
In the exhibition "Verketend Beeld" (Chained Image) , the Stedelijk Museum Coevorden explores these underexposed pages of history. Although Coevorden, as a city, was not directly involved, it too benefited for centuries from slavery and the colonial system.
What did Johan Picardt, the first historian of Drenthe, write to justify slavery? To what extent was Drenthe involved in plantations in Suriname ? And what about the connection between Coevorden and the Dutch East Indies?
To this day, visible reminders of the colonial past remain in Coevorden, such as the many references to Joannes Benedictus van Heutsz. Is it—with the benefit of hindsight—still appropriate to honor a controversial governor-general of the colonial Dutch East Indies?
The exhibition also focuses on the contemporary consequences of the slavery past, including commemorating and celebrating the abolition of slavery.
