THE HAGUE - The National Archive in The Hague has thousands of maps and drawings in its collection. One part of it consists of the maps and drawings of the former Ministry of Colonies.
More than 60 percent of scanned maps and drawings are now online and can be viewed by anyone interested anywhere in the world.
Awareness
The processing of this archive makes employees more aware of the role that maps have played. Maps not only show something about governance and the development of knowledge, but also provide insight into the oppression of the original population or enslaved people.
The map of Suriname from 1737 below clearly shows this. In addition to the plantations in use, so-called 'military campaigns' against escaped enslaved people can be seen on the map. These are quite intense scenes, where men, women, and even children are fleeing from the troops of the governor.
