THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD - The Netherlands has restored the good name and honor of Curacao national hero Tula 228 years after he led a revolt of enslaved people on his island. State Secretary Alexander van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations) will issue the restoration decree on behalf of the Cabinet on this symbolic date - on this day in 1795, the Dutch rulers gruesomely executed the resistance leader.
The execution was preceded by Tula leaving work on the Kenepa plantation on August 17 of that year with 50 other enslaved people. They gathered a group of supporters by moving from plantation to plantation. Tula thus became the symbol of resistance against Dutch colonial rule. August 17 is a national holiday in Curacao.
In a four-hour evening program on the island, Tula has received the restoration that has long been a deep wish of many Curacaoans. In addition to Van Huffelen, other dignitaries, including the Prime Minister of Curacao, Gilmar Pisas, also gave speeches. The ceremony was accompanied by music and theater,