To support every claim that he makes, 37-year-old Mitchell Esajas pulls newspapers, books and photographs out of his backpack. This Amsterdam-born anthropologist is a descendant of people who were enslaved in Suriname during the Dutch colonial period. He believes that the most effective way to talk about anti-colonialism and anti-racism with people who don't yet understand the concepts is through historical archives.
"We can show them that there's a different historical narrative [that's backed up] with real material; it's not just based on emotions, ideologies, or convictions," Esajas explains. He's the co-founder of The Black Archives, a project that documents the history of the Dutch colonies and Black emancipation movements in the Netherlands.
The Black Archives house more than 25,000 books, documents, works of art and all kinds of materials that reflect on racism, slavery, and development in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. More than 400,000 people of Surinamese descent live in the Netherlands. This diaspora settled in the 1970s, following the country's independence. Esajas's parents, for example, arrived in Europe during this large migration.
In an interview with EL PAÍS as part of the Afro Consciousness Festival in Madrid, the co-founder of The Black Archives talks about the impact of the body of work that he's been building since 2015, which is a benchmark in Europe. He also mentions the near future: on October 29, the Netherlands will hold general elections after the collapse of the governing coalition, which included a far-right party that targets migrants and people of color.
Question. Where did the idea for this project come from?
Answer. I learned from my mother that there are different narratives of our history. When I went to university, I saw that there was a very Eurocentric perspective [imposed] on the story. So, back in 2011, with a few friends, I created a student group called the New Urban Collective. We began organizing talks, debates and youth exchanges on Black history... and also on the Black future.
In 2015, the children of Waldo Heilbron (1936-2009) -- a Surinamese sociologist who researched colonial history -- contacted us. They had inherited more than 2,000 books from their father and [wanted to share] them with us.
We housed the books in a small room in a building in North Amsterdam. Then, we moved them to the headquarters of the Vereniging Ons Surinam, the oldest Surinamese association in the Netherlands. We told the association we would help them [organize their materials] if they let us store the books [in their building]. And it turns out that we found treasures there: magazines, books and newspapers that talked about the abolition of slavery in Suriname, discrimination in the real estate market, as well as police violence. There were many stories our community didn't know about, so we decided to organize temporary exhibitions to tell them.
Q. How present is Dutch colonialism in public debate?
A. 15 years ago, racism was taboo. There were Surinamese groups that talked about it, but even for some, it was a sensitive topic. Then, partly due to the anti-racism movement and the debate about blackface, much more space was created in society to address it.
In 2022, the then-prime minister [Mark Rutte] apologized for slavery. Ironically, a few months later, his government fell... and we got the most extreme right-wing government. It's paradoxical, but that's history, which isn't linear and has ups and downs. Of course, they won't be able to undo the apology, nor take away the knowledge that people have acquired.
Q. How important are The Black Archives in this political moment?
A. One of the things that the far-right tries to do is develop mythical historical narratives. In the Netherlands, there's the narrative of the [17th century] Golden Age, [having to do with] the pride we should feel for the Dutch East India Company. When you look at it from a different perspective, you can say that the basis of that Golden Age was slavery, colonialism and the genocide of Indigenous peoples. In this rhetoric, the far-right tries to argue that "Dutchness" is white and Black people are second-class citizens.
We believe that, through the archive, we can respond with real material, not just emotions, ideologies, or convictions. We have [documents] that show there's a different narrative. We are here because your ancestors colonized and exploited our people. And we have the right to claim our space, because we are also Dutch citizens.
Q. Do you think it will be more difficult to continue your work now?
A. I think it will be more complicated, but I'm not afraid. Our ancestors have had to deal with much worse.
Q. You also offer a service to help people find their roots in Suriname.
A. We help people with the early stages. The National Archives of the Netherlands has digitized many slavery documents, so that, based on surnames, we can trace the plantations where our ancestors were enslaved. For example, my surname -- Esajas -- is linked to the Sarah Plantation, in the Surinamese district of Coronie. [Using slave labor, this plantation grew cotton, cocoa and nuts].
Q. Have people been interested in this service?
A. Yes, very much so. As Marcus Garvey said: "A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." We believe it's important to know where you come from, in order to find out where you want to go and to understand your place in society.
Q. Is the state's apology for slavery enough?
A. After the former prime minister's speech, we said, "We're putting a comma, not a period." The apology is fine, but we want restorative justice. I'm not saying they should give us a blank check. We think holistically, which means investing in education, mental health and anti-racist policies, so that everyone has equal rights.
Q. How will you celebrate Suriname's 50th anniversary of independence this November?
A. We're preparing an exhibition titled Echoes of In*dependence. The asterisk is used because there's a new form of colonialism, in which you're economically independent, but still controlled by multinational corporations, financial interests, etc. Through our project, we want to critically analyze what independence really means and what we can do to continue the unfinished task of liberation.