THE HAGUE - The Council for Culture has issued recommendations on handling colonial archives and documentary collections under the guidance of the advice titled "Dealing with shared sources of the colonial past." Today, these recommendations were formally presented to State Secretary Gräper-van Koolwijk.
Outlined within the advice are three fundamental principles for managing colonial archives and documentary collections: acknowledgment of the historical injustices perpetrated by the state against former colonies; a commitment to rectifying these injustices where feasible; and the imperative to prevent further injustices and the perpetuation of historical wrongs.
The council suggests that unlocking and ensuring access to archives, in collaboration with stakeholders, can mitigate the risk of perpetuating new injustices. Archives serve as crucial resources for examining one's own history, and the thorough exploration of this history should not be a privilege reserved for a select few.
One of the primary recommendations stresses the importance of recognizing shared cultural and moral ownership of colonial archives and documentary collections. It proposes that the Netherlands engage in equitable dialogue with involved nations to ensure that these archives and collections are discoverable, accessible, interpretable, and visible to all stakeholders worldwide.
Additionally, the council provides guidance on handling restitution requests. It suggests establishing an independent committee comprised of national and international experts to assess each request. While not discounting restitution entirely, the council suggests that tailored solutions are more appropriate for requests concerning colonial archives and documentary collections.
The council contends that addressing injustices related to colonial archives is primarily an ethical matter rather than a legal one. As such, it advocates for embracing transitional justice principles to formulate practical recommendations. This approach aims to facilitate communities' recovery from significant human rights violations by seeking truth, providing justice to victims and their descendants, and actively preventing the recurrence of injustice.
The recommendations put forth by the Council for Culture were developed by a committee chaired by Dagmar Oudshoorn, with members including Leo Balai, Deirdre Carasso, Michael Karabinos, Wim Manuhutu, and Matthias van Rossum.