Article
Background
While the Dutch colonial legacy is ever-present, few people are aware of where to look for it. This is also the case in The Hague, where numerous streets are named after colonizers, buildings were created from slave labor money, and a number of places housed anti-colonial activists. These sites, however, are not well-known.
Nicchelle believes that, because we have not learned about this period and the harmful practices it entailed, we fail to observe the connections to present-day issues in Dutch society. Due to this gap, patterns of racism are perpetrated.
Approach & Methodology
Nicchelle believes education is the way to increase knowledge on the Dutch colonial past. As their Action Project, Nichelle developed poetry workshops titled Colonial Traces. These workshops were created to increase awareness among citizens in The Hague regarding the city’s colonial past and ever-present symbols.
Impact
Nichelle organized two workshops with 25 participants each. During the last workshop, Nicchelle collaborated with the central library in The Hague. This allowed them to host a diverse audience not only in regards to gender and ethnicity, but also age. When participants were asked to share their takeaways from the workshop, one of the older attendees said:
I’m taking hope with me. It means a lot to me to see young people engaging with this topic.
Next Steps
Nicchelle’s project started at Humanity in Action, but it continues to live beyond their Fellowship.
I will continue to offer these workshops where possible.
Follow Nicchelle on Instagram to stay up-to-date with future workshops.
“I’m also very much open to collaboration and funding opportunities, in order to further develop the workshops.”