The entire team behind Our HERitage works as volunteers, but with no less passion: they are diverse with Caribbean (incl. Surinamese and Guyanese) roots and connections, a range of mixed heritage and busy jobs, businesses and PhDs next to this project.
In the year that the Netherlands commemorates 160 years* of the abolition of slavery and 150 years** of the abolition of contract labor (2023-2024), Fausia S. Abdul launches the project "Our HERitage" with a team of enthusiastic professionals and support from, among others, the CBG, Center for Family History , Fund for Cultural Participation and the University of St. Maarten . This initiative focuses on a shared future and breaking stereotypes. This is done by highlighting the often forgotten lives of Caribbean women during the colonial period, including slavery and contract labor, through 50 historical portraits where ethnic and geographical diversity is attempted: descendants from 12 regions in the Caribbean (including Suriname and the Guianas) where the Netherlands has left colonial traces and approximately 11 (main) groups from all over the world brought together.
Many people within Surinamese/Caribbean communities have a difficult relationship with their roots due to intergenerational trauma and challenges. "Our HERitage" focuses on transcending the first generations and going back to the origins: our foremothers. It stimulates a different perspective and counteracts stereotyping, both within and outside these communities. The project involves descendants in archival research and guides 25-30 participants in discovering their ancestors. Afterwards, historians work with the material to place it in a historical context. This project gives diversity and women a voice in history and offers people the tools to discover their own past.
* After the official abolition on July 1, 1863, the enslaved had to continue working for at least ten years in Suriname, which is also called 'state supervision time'. This was not the case on the islands.
** Abolition of contract labour, which is seen as a replacement for slavery. After the abolition of slavery, this was the main form of forced labour.
Fausia S. Abdul recently published the article "Woman, Care, and the Weight of a Colonial Legacy" in Nieuw Wij, including interviews with Desiree Hooi, Cindy de Koning, and Legien Warsosemito. It focuses on the impact of the colonial past on how women's health is perceived and experienced.
Our HERitage has now also printed several portraits of powerful women and other special features on postcards! These five cards feature various images, including one of Louisa Helena Gerardina Denswil, an indigenous midwife who grew up on the Osembo plantation in Suriname. In 1970, she received recognition from Queen Juliana for her contribution/fight for better maternity care for women of color/Black women in Suriname.
What does resistance sound like when it begins in silence? And how does that silence later find a voice? During the symposium Female Resistance in Silence and Voice, we will share the stories of Caribbean foremothers. Women who, through their strength and choices, have left their mark on Dutch history.
Our team member Matthijs Kraijo appeared in Radboud Recharge. As a PhD candidate, he shared his perspective and indicated he's not your typical researcher. Besides his PhD and participation in Our HERitage, he also works as a secretary. It's a pleasure to have a team member who is so versatile and, despite pressure, makes time to contribute to Our HERitage.
On August 17, 2025, founder Fausa S. Abdul attended the Tula lecture in Rotterdam. August 17 is also known as "Dia di Lucha pa Libertat" (English: Day of the Struggle for Freedom), which commemorates the slave uprising of 1795 in Curaçao.
On August 17th, Rotterdam commemorated Dia di Lucha pa Libertad, the day that takes us back to the 1795 slave uprising on Curaçao led by Tula. This uprising is not just a Curaçaoan story, but a Caribbean and global story of struggle for freedom and dignity.
by Fausia S. Abdul, Founder Our HERitage
Tomorrow is the 162nd anniversary of the abolition of slavery by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its then colonial empire. This meant the end of imprisonment for the enslaved in the colony of Suriname and 'Curaçao en subjects' (Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, St-Eustatius, and St-Maarten): they were now suddenly free Dutch nationals with Dutch citizenship. This is commemorated annually in Suriname as Keti Koti (Sranangonto for 'the necklaces are broken'), in Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, St-Eustatius and St-Maarten this is celebrated as Dia Di Abolishon (Papiamento for 'Day of Abolition') or Emancipation Day, as in the rest of the Caribbean where English is the official language. It was a turning point in history in which the former enslaved, and from then on their descendants, were able to go their own way and integrate into society with equal rights (although racial discrimination has in practice remained a consequence of the past of slavery). Note: although slavery on paper was abolished in 1863, the enslaved in Suriname had to work for ten years on the plantations under a kind of "state supervision", until 1873. Therefore, it is also said that actual freedom only began 152 years ago (in 2025).
The Our HERitage team, along with some participants and partners, participated in a slavery history walk organized specifically for this project. The expertly guided tour was led by Britt van Duijvenvoorde, who took us to several key locations in Leiden that played a significant role in transatlantic slavery.
Last weekend the CBG celebrated | Centre for family history are 80 years old. It was a party full of highlights: a private partner day in the form of a scientific symposium, the next day the Famillement, the announcement of the Family Historian 2025, the GenTalkShow and the publication of a special GEN edition. Our Heritage was present at the special partner day prior to the Famillement.
On Tuesday 6 May, a special meeting was held at the residence of Ambassador Walter Oostelbos in Suriname, dedicated to the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean region, which also includes Suriname and the Guianas. The Our Heritage project, which focuses on the power and diversity of Caribbean women to break stereotypes, presented historical portraits from colonial times that highlight these women’s diverse contributions to society.
Rubien Kalaykhan (left) and Fausia S. Abdul (right).
What makes Our HERitage unique is its emphasis on superdiversity within the Caribbean community, with special attention to female perspectives.
The project highlights diverse ethnic backgrounds (11) of Caribbean women during the slavery and colonial period from all 12 regions under (former) Dutch colonial occupation: long-term and short-term. By documenting the historical portraits of 50 women with diverse roots that converge in their descendants, the project shows the rich and complex heritage of the region, and places the diversity and connectedness of cultures and communities at the centre.
You will get started with the search help and meetings at the CBG - Centre for Family History to find out more about your ancestor.
Many archives are digitised so you can do a lot from home! There are also many online workshops from us and 1-on-1 meetings with our researchers available to also look at physical archives in Suriname and the islands.
Ready? Then our Our Heritage researchers will work to give context to the material.
The portrait goes to an Academic Review Committee consisting of senior specialists and professors. After this phase, our researchers will put the final changes on the i and our editor will make a beautiful final story.
Fast forward: we will talk to you and take your trajectory and portrait through. If there are any questions, we are available! We will also check if you agree with the final text for publication.
The historical portrait of your ancestor is finished and is published! Magazine, online or book. Or in the exhibitions of 2025!
Of the 12 (egg) countries, there are now participants from all twelve active! Check out our FAQ for more information about which regions this project covers.
Of the eleven mainstream subcultures from the Caribbean, ten are now represented!
Our HERITAGE will eventually bring out fifty portraits with the focus on giving the diversity of our colonial past of the Caribbean a feminine voice.
We will be doing ancestral research with 25-30 participants to put it in a historical context.
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