Remembering and Healing: The Slavery Past, Discrimination and Racism

On July 1, 2023, the Surinamese holiday Keti Koti celebrating the abolition of slavery, the King apologized for the slavery past and asked for forgiveness. An incredibly influential moment on an important day, which was also the start of the Slavery Past Commemoration Year. Sonja van Roode and Lior Sela share their experience at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

“I was very moved that the people involved were affected.”

The Slavery Past Commemoration Year is a project as part of the Program against Discrimination and Racism, coordinated and facilitated by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Sonja van Roode and Lior Sela both work via Babbage as interim Communications Advisors for this program and the project. The first months of 2023, the focus was on the start of the commemoration year. 'An intensive, but fun period,' says Sonja. 'At the start of the commemoration year, July 1, everything fell into place. That was a huge relief and the response was very positive.' 'It touched me deeply that the people involved were touched,' adds Lior.

Together against discrimination and racism

The Program Against Discrimination and Racism is a program for all executive organizations of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, such as DUO or the National Archives. The program focuses on both the policy side of the ministry and the employer side. It is therefore a broad approach against discrimination and racism.

'A team of people who are truly intrinsically motivated to work on the subject are working on the programme,' says Lior. 'I find that incredibly inspiring. The team is committed to combating discrimination in the cultural sector, for example, or eliminating internship discrimination. The programme strengthens existing policy and looks at how we can improve it with a more integrated approach. We don't just advise, we actually take action. By bringing people together, this happens more quickly. We work with many disciplines, such as webcare, content creators, media analysts, spokespersons, and so on.'

Apologies, forgiveness and initiatives 

The Slavery Past Commemoration Year is part of the program. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has a coordinating role and wants to put the slavery past more firmly on the agenda by paying extra attention to it for a year. 'That of course does not mean that the attention will stop after July 1, 2024,' Sonja explains. 'This is precisely an investment to continue afterwards.'

'The Mondriaan Fund and the Fund for Cultural Participation provide subsidies for all kinds of initiatives from communities and society. In this way, the central government is less the party that organizes, but rather facilitates, coordinates and makes visible. The slavery past does not belong to the central government, it is something whose consequences are noticeable in society. The idea is that the initiatives for the commemoration year really come from society. We notice that there is a need to pay attention to this subject. That is why the subsidy schemes were created.'

Engaging communities and listening to each other

'The project is not only about the Transatlantic slavery past, but also the slavery past of Suriname and the contract labor in Asia are involved,' Sonja continues. 'A very broad scope. The subject is sensitive, so it is all the more important that we involve the people from the communities themselves. Listen carefully to each other's stories in order to also find the right tone and to ensure more understanding for each other.'

Lior gives an example: 'Storytelling is the basis for the online campaign we launched: History, of all of us. In a video series, storytellers in duo form talk about their own history and the impact of the slavery past on their lives today. We started this campaign in December 2023, which runs until July 1, 2024.'

A perfect match

Sonja has been working as a freelancer in the communications field for a long time. From the fire brigade to corona communication. 'I kind of just rolled into that and to this day I really like it!' Sonja explains. 'This is my first assignment via Babbage. My Recruitment Consultant Iwein correctly estimated that this assignment really suits me!'

Lior started at Babbage four years ago as a Communication Consultant and was seconded to various assignments. 'I made the move to self-employment not so long ago,' she says. 'I always thought Babbage was a great employer, so it was logical for me to do my first self-employment assignment through Babbage. I know many of the recruiters personally, so that makes the collaboration very pleasant. I always liked the assignment-based work and I really like being in control now. The responsibility lies entirely with me and I like that. It feels good that I have taken this step.'

'Iwein also thought that Lior and I would be a good fit,' Sonja adds. 'He didn't lie about that, because it soon became clear that that was the case. We are a good team.'

Meaningful work in a team

Both are intrinsically motivated to work on this assignment. 'I am very convinced that it is simply a condition that everyone participates and is visible,' says Lior. 'This assignment suits me well. In the field of communication, you ensure that you convey something well and that is of course important in this assignment.

Sonja agrees with Lior. 'I like doing something meaningful and that you can make a difference. I realize that I come from a privileged bubble. I think it's important that I'm aware of that and that I can commit myself to people who are not so privileged. I also talk about that with my children at home, for example. The team we work in is very diverse and everyone is raring to go to work in the morning.'

Pride and recognition

The work for Sonja and Lior on the project and the programme is very diverse. From campaign management to reading speeches, and from PR to stakeholder management. Not only the work, but also the subject is very broad. That can be quite a challenge at times. 'You want to be as complete as possible,' Lior explains. 'You want everyone to feel heard and to convey everything as well as possible. This subject deserves that too. But at the same time, you can't always be 100% complete and sometimes you have to shorten something. I think that's really a challenge.' Sonja agrees: 'the entire programme is so big and there's so much that falls under it. You need a lot of communication advisors for that.'

But that challenge quickly turns into a sense of pride for Lior: 'I am proud of the team. We have done a lot in a short time and sometimes with a limited number of people. And we continue to engage in dialogue with the communities involved and the people who have been committed to this subject for a long time. Experts by experience who we deploy or ask for advice are also paid for their efforts. That is not always the case. There is real recognition for the people who know a lot about this. I think that is wonderful to see.'

Sonja is also happy with this assignment: 'I am proud of how we did it and that I was able to contribute to such a historic event. I also believe in the power of stories and the campaign we are currently working on proves that. I have done many different assignments, but I already know that this one will really stick with me!'

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