WILLEMSTAD – The National Archives of Curaçao has officially launched the Digitalization of the Colonial Archives project, marking a significant step toward making Curaçao’s colonial past more accessible to researchers, descendants and the wider public. The project aims to digitize millions of historical documents and is framed as an important contribution to remembrance, recognition and restorative efforts.
The colonial archive is vast, consisting of approximately 579 linear meters of archival material dating from 1851 to 1951. Over the course of the project, more than 2.6 million digital scans will be produced. The work is expected to take just over three years to complete.
Funding for the heritage project comes from resources made available by the Kingdom of the Netherlands following the official apologies for the slavery past. The objective is to safeguard historically significant archival material and ensure long-term public access, both locally and internationally.
The official start of the project was marked by the signing of the agreement by Shalten Hato, Minister of Governance, Planning and Public Service; Max Scriwanek, Director of the National Archives; and Nadya Nercisio, Acting Secretary-General. With the signing, the project formally moved into its implementation phase.
The digitization effort forms part of the interministerial action agenda on remembrance, recognition and repair, which involves several ministries, including Governance, Planning and Public Service, Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Health, Environment and Nature, and Social Development, Labour and Welfare. The project received approval from the Council of Ministers and formal consent from the Netherlands in August last year, with financial procedures completed in early 2026.
In parallel with the digitization work, Curaçao is also preparing to implement an electronic archive, or e-depot, at the National Archives. This system will ensure the sustainable storage of the digital files, guaranteeing that the scanned records remain accessible for future generations.