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Find out more about the organizations behind the Knowledge Center

The Knowledge Centre for the History of Slavery in Zeeland originated from a broadly supported initiative by the Province of Zeeland and the municipalities of Middelburg, Vlissingen, and Veere. For over twenty years, local and regional organisations have been working together to make the slavery history of Zeeland visible, through commemorations, educational projects and research. In 2021, this led to a joint commitment to establish a knowledge centre, building on recommendations from the national Advisory Board on Slavery History.

In 2023, a coordinator was appointed to explore the possibilities for an international knowledge centre in Zeeland. Based on extensive consultation and research, the advisory report Towards an International Knowledge Centre for the History of Slavery in Zeeland was published at the end of 2024. It recommends locating the centre in Middelburg, near the globally unique archive of the Middelburgse Commercie Compagnie (MCC).

The Knowledge Centre is supported by a growing network of partners: governments, archives, libraries, heritage institutions, educational organisations and social initiatives. Among others, the Zeeuws Archief, ZB Library of Zeeland, University College Roosevelt, HZ University of Applied Sciences, NiNZeeland, KITAS and Keti Koti Zeeland are closely involved. Together they are working towards a centre that offers space for knowledge sharing, collaboration and recognition – locally rooted, with a global outlook.

Download the advisory report Towards an International Knowledge Centre for the History of Slavery in Zeeland here (only in Dutch).