Dutch covid memorial includes stories from Black communities, islands

Amsterdam -- The memorial “National Reflection on Covid” that opens today, Friday 29 in the Provinciehuis in North Brabant, will present an as inclusive as possible picture of the Netherlands during the corona years. On the eve of the opening ceremony, Arno Brok, the King's Commissioner in the province of Fryslân, emphasized that much effort went into including stories from the Caribbean islands into the retrospective.

Said Brok in an interview:

“Covid did not discriminate, and we were all affected by it, which fortunately also brought us closer together. And we can learn from the pandemic. What we do in the kingdom, we do together. That is the signal from this memorial: now that we look back at covid, we also do so together, as a kingdom.”

A Kingdom Information Service press release explained that the memorial is an initiative by the cabinet to look back on the consequences that the corona crisis has had on society. In the roving exposition, 40 Kingdom residents look back on people who left an impression on them during the pandemic. The exhibition is organized by the National Committee for Reflection on Corona, chaired by Commissioner Brok. The opening will be officiated by King Willem Alexander.

Organizers also stressed their efforts to ensure inclusivity.

AFRO Magazine produced several stories from the Dutch Afro community for the exhibition, including an interview with Simion Blom, a former Amsterdam city councilor, in which he reflects on the worldwide push for measures to battle inequality.

“Not only did this pandemic highlight the inequalities communities of color face every day; everybody else felt it. People finally understood, so when we stood up during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, everybody joined in. We were able to make an impact on the world during Covid,” Blom says in his story.

The memorial includes an article about how the pandemic impacted communities of color in the Netherlands.

“The corona pandemic has acted like a magnifying glass, as it exposed and may have exacerbated existing inequalities in society. COVID-19 has hit people with a migration background from lower income countries more severely. In addition, factors more specific to migrant groups, such as genetic differences, discrimination and chronic stress caused by migration, also play a role,” the article reads.

The islands are also highlighted in the exhibition. Various stories about people who have lost their lives are included. From St. Maarten, the parents of Jurendy Woods reflect on their son who passed away in August 2020. But the memorial also includes stories of people who turned the crisis into an opportunity and came together to face the challenge. One story in particular that is included, regards how a community in Curacao came together and created the Voedselbos, a “food forest” in Otrabanda, that feeds entire families in the area.

Two people from the islands, whose stories appear in the exhibition, traveled to the Netherlands especially to be present at the opening ceremony: a judge from Saba and a woman from Statia who struggled with the consequences of Covid for a long time, with her daughter. The intention is for them to meet the King.

Commissioner Brok also emphasized that inclusion was an important guiding principle in the stories included in the exhibition. “The memorial features people from all ethnic communities looking back at someone who made an impact on them during the pandemic. There are also stories from the Caribbean part of the Netherlands. A singer from Sint Maarten has traveled to the Netherlands to perform at the opening ceremony; in the spirit of togetherness sparked by the pandemic, he says. Let us all hold on to that at least,” he said.

After opening on Friday, the memorial will travel to different provinces in the Netherlands. The intention is for the memorial to also travel to the Caribbean islands, in a version made specifically to appeal to the region. The opening of that expo will be conducted by Commissioner Brok when he travels to the islands later this year.

Dutch broadcaster NOS will report live from the opening ceremony. The broadcast runs from 2:50 PM to 4:00 PM Dutch time, NPO 1 (and from 3:05 PM worldwide via BVN)