The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, made a public apology for thousands of Africans who were kidnapped from their country, trafficked to the Netherlands, and turned into slaves.
In his speech, Mark referred to the atrocities as “crimes against humanity” and that what happened in Africa from the colonial masters must be recognized as that in its clearest terms.
In what might coincidentally be called a period of restitution, Germany recently returned Benin bronze artifacts and sculptures back to Nigeria. The prized historic items which had been adorned in museums across Europe and the United Kingdom had also been looted from Africa during the colonial era.
It was reported that over 600,000 people were trafficked from Africa and Asia by Dutch merchants between the 17th to the 19th century.
Calls continue to mount on the United Kingdom and other EU nations to make reparations for the many crimes committed in Africa and Asia during the period of colonization.