A controversial past

The Republic is estimated to have transported and traded about 600,000 enslaved individuals. However, the country's role in the global slave trade was much larger when considering the areas under the control of the VOC. The number of enslaved individuals in Asia is estimated to have been between 660,000 and 1.1 million. Motivated by profit, the leaders of the country and the two trading companies consciously exploited people, leading to widespread human rights violations. It was not until 1873 that the Netherlands abolished colonial slavery. The Municipality of Delft commemorates this from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024.

The Oude Kerk is, in fact, an ambiguous location because in the 17th century, the Protestant Church was intricately interwoven into the economic system involving slavery and human trafficking. The Diaconate owned shares in the VOC and WIC, often acquired through legacies. Pastors and spiritual caregivers sailed on Dutch ships to establish churches in trading posts and colonies. These pastors themselves owned enslaved individuals. In Suriname, one-third of them later became large-scale owners, often also owning plantations. Discussions about slavery likely took place in the corridors of the church and at home. The topic might even have been addressed from the pulpit, although that is difficult to ascertain. Throughout the colonial period, there were debates and dissenting voices within the church, even though the legitimation of slavery prevailed from the early 17th century onwards. Theological perspectives also contributed to the devaluation of people of colour. A "Moor," "Moorin," or "Swarte" could only be baptized if they were free, and it was only after baptism that they were considered equal to the Dutch. Before that, they were regarded as objects or commodities.

The connection to the slavery legacy persisted through time; other prominent figures from the 17th and 18th centuries with a direct or indirect link to slavery and human trafficking were also buried in the Oude Kerk. Consider the navigator Maarten Tromp and the family of WIC director Adriaan van der Dussen. The Protestant Church carries this history with it and does not shy away from it. The Bible teaches to honestly name, address, and combat injustice, even that of ancestors, especially when it continues to have an impact in the present. 

What does slavery actually mean, and is it completely over now? Slavery, as defined by the Dutch dictionary ‘Van Dale’, refers to the condition in which people are not free because they are the property of someone else. This has existed since time immemorial. Although the face of slavery has changed over time, we still deal with it today. According to the International Labour Organization, roughly 50 million people currently live in a state of modern slavery. This includes forced labour in agriculture, domestic work, as well as sexual exploitation, forced (child) marriages, and organ trafficking. Other estimates of slavery, counting only the truly forced labour, put the number at around 28 million.

The exhibition The Close to Home Show: Daisy Ranoe and IJM on modern slavery, running from March 18 to September 14 in the north aisle of the Oude Kerk, sheds light on forms of modern slavery.