In 2023, the Faculty of Humanities will be organising the public programme ‘Dekoloniale Dialogen@Humanities’ (Decolonial Dialogues@Humanities), in and around the room that is known as the ‘VOC-zaal’ (Dutch East India Company room). The programme will consist, among other things, of lectures, performances, podcasts and small exhibitions.

In the so-called ‘VOC-zaal’ in the Bushuis, a historical reconstruction of the Dutch East India Company past can be seen, which was devised and created in the 1990s. In recent years, there has been growing unease among staff and students about the way in which the colonial past of the Netherlands and Amsterdam is presented/represented at this location. The Faculty Board therefore decided in August 2022 to temporarily close the room, which was used for meetings, symposia and the presentation of degree certificates.

From January 2023, the doors of the room will open once again for the public project Dekoloniale Dialogen@Humanities (Decolonial Dialogues@Humanities). Events and activities will be  programmed in and around the room until the end of 2023. The project will offer a platform to existing research and programmes. Furthermore, in collaboration with staff and students, partner institutions and interested parties, we will reflect and work on concrete proposals regarding the future of the room and the best way to deal with the colonial past of the Bushuis/Oost-Indisch Huis.

The programme will be put together by Ghanima Kowsoleea (project manager of VOX-POP) in consultation with an interdisciplinary team of UvA experts chaired by Margriet Schavemaker (professor of Media and Art in Museum Practice and artistic director of the Amsterdam Museum). This team will give feedback and input on the programming during the project and publish an open call to submit ideas and to participate.

The UvA will also establish an interdisciplinary advisory committee in the coming year, on the initiative of Central Diversity Officer Machiel Keestra. The recommendations of this committee will include the research into the colonial past of our own institution, whereby the programming and the resulting insights from the Dekoloniale Dialogen@Humanities (Decolonial Dialogues@Humanities) project can serve as input for this research.

On 19 January, a kick-off symposium will take place, in which the frameworks, context and objectives of the project will be discussed.

If you have any questions or ideas, please email them to dekoloniale-dialogen@uva.nl.