Kralendijk- The national commemoration of the Dutch slavery past is a national event that takes place on the 1st of July. On July 1st 1863 the Dutch State started with the phased abolition of slavery  in the West-Indian colonies.

In that time there were about 12.000 enslaved persons on the Antillean islands. The abolition of slavery and the emancipation of the former slaves is also of relevance for the history and community of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.

This year the public entity Bonaire is organizing an island-wide commemoration in cooperation with the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The activities include a historical hike on June 26th with Boi Antoin to landhuis Yato Baco and a film evening with the film Sombra di koló (from film maker Angela Roe) with live music by Grupo Ashé. Access to the activities will be free but due to the limited number of seats it is wise to register early.

The program for the Public Entity Sint Eustatius includes various competitions for students (coloring, poetry and writing essays) and the program on July 1st includes a ceremonial commemoration and various events, such as “old time lunch”.