According to a survey by the American sociologist Melissa Weiner, less than a quarter of Dutch school history textbooks mention slavery in the country’s overseas colonies, and even those that do usually focus on the hardships endured by Dutch colonists rather than the suffering of the slaves. There are notable exceptions, including the admirable National Institute for Study of Dutch Slavery and Its Legacy, but I found it difficult not to read something into the fact that while London’s monument to slavery was situated in the very heart of the city, a few metres from the Houses of Parliament,
...more
