Keti Koti: how ABN AMRO will be marking this

ABN AMRO Keti Koti Table

Together with Stichting Keti Koti Tafel, ABN AMRO will host on the 27 of June its second dialogue table, the idea being that Dutch people of all colours come together to talk about the legacy of our shared past of slavery and colonialism. Opening and closing this round table, rituals will refer to the shared history of slavery and the discussions will be interspersed with Fri Yeye lamentations and freedom songs that were sung in the age of slavery. A meal will also be shared.

Free Heri Heri for all

Together with Stichting Free Heri Heri For All, ABN AMRO, PWC and Google will be distributing free traditional Heri Heri meals in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district on Thursday 29 June.

Exhibition: Banking history’s darker side

The central lobby at ABN AMRO’s head office exhibits Een schaduwkant van de bankgeschiedenis (‘A dark side of the bank’s history’). A video presentation and exhibition showcase a range of artefacts and documents from ABN AMRO’s historical archives related to the slavery past of the bank’s predecessors. For more information, click here.

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Felix de Rooy

Together with our partner museum Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, we organise a guided tour of work by Felix de Rooy (born 1952). This Dutch artist of Surinam-Curaçao origins has been working in the Netherlands since the 1970s. He investigates the position of colonised individuals and how they relate to themselves and society. For more information, click here.

Exhibition: Of Palimpsests & Erasure

As part of the Slavery Remembrance Year, during Keti Koti the Amsterdam Hermitage will showcase artist Patricia Kaersenhout’s Of Palimpsests & Erasure, a new acquisition in ABN AMRO’s art collection. Her work explores the African diaspora in relation to feminism, gender,sexuality, racism and the history of Dutch slavery.

Wreath-laying in Rotterdam

The annual commemoration of the abolition of slavery will be held in Rotterdam on 30 June 2023, organised as every year by Stichting Gedeeld Verleden Gezamenlijke Toekomst (GVGT, Shared Past – Joint Future) and Rotterdam’s city council. At the initiative of Social Point Rotterdam, this year a wreath will also be laid on behalf of ABN AMRO.

Freedom bird-making workshop

On Thursday 22 June, ABN AMRO Foundation will host a freedom bird-making workshop at the Amsterdam Hermitage. Prior to the workshop, participating kids will be told about Keti Koti and visit Patricia Kaersenhout’s artwork.