Slavernijmonument (slavery monument)

The Netherlands officially abolished slavery in the colonies of Suriname and the Dutch Antilles in July 1863. In 2002 (139 years later), Surinamese sculptor Erwin de Vries was selected to design a memorial for this dark period. The sculpture is located in the Oosterpark and is made up of three elements. The first represents slavery’s dark and dramatic history, the second represents breaking through the wall of resistance in the modern day, and the third element represents the longing for freedom and a better future.