Queen Máxima (left) with guest curator Dyonna Benett during the tour of the Curaçao exhibition of the National Archive in The Hague.
THE HAGUE--Queen Máxima on Thursday paid a working visit to the exhibition “Kòrsou – Curaçao, voices of then, people of now” at the National Archive in The Hague.
Based on documents and photos, several themes from history, culture and society of Curaçao are highlighted in this exhibition which runs until November 20. The National Archive has a lot of documents about Curaçao in storage, especially from the period of the West India Company (WIC) and the period that the island was a colony of the Netherlands.
Historic documents and archive pieces are shown at the exhibition, which give an impression of the island’s history and current situation, in combination with photos, audio fragments and interviews by documentary producer and photographer Selwyn de Wind from Curaçao. Also added to the exhibition are works from several artists.
During a tour of the exhibition, facilitated by guest curator Dyonna Benett and educational staff member Zion Piggott, Queen Máxima received information about the themes of government, society, slavery and resilience. The resilience of the Curaçao people throughout the centuries was the central theme of the tour that the Queen received.
Information was provided about the position of Papiamentu and musical expression in colonial times and in current society. There was also attention for the development of women’s voting rights, slavery past and the allotting of names to people after the abolition of slavery.
Visitors to the exhibition can check whether they can find the history of their own family. In the context of this exhibition, the National Archive organises debates, lectures and tours. After her tour, Queen Máxima spoke with persons who helped to organise the exhibition about their experiences.
