Rotterdam is a port city, and that is not a neutral fact. Through the port ran trade routes that moved people and goods in ways still felt generations later. Our founders Pearly Lynch and Melvin Miller were born in Paramaribo and carry that history with them — not as a burden, but as a reason to hold conversations that otherwise would not happen of their own accord.
What we do
- Organise conversations across generations, communities and backgrounds about colonial history and its present-day effects
- Educational programmes for schools where pupils encounter multiple perspectives on a shared history
- Collect stories from people in Rotterdam with Surinamese, Antillean, Indonesian and other backgrounds connected to this history
- Work with cultural institutions, archives and libraries in Rotterdam to make sources accessible
Who we work with
For young people who want to know their own history. For people searching for words for what they have lived through or inherited. For teachers who want to hold a careful conversation in the classroom. And for any person in Rotterdam who wants to help think about how we move forward together.
Our approach
We work from a place of respect and care. History is neither an accusation nor a celebration — it asks for honesty, and for room for pain and for pride alike. We cooperate with Rotterdam-based cultural institutions, with educational partners and with communities who want to share their stories. We let no single voice dominate, and we avoid language that sets people against each other.
Examples
These illustrate the kind of activities we organise:
- A school lesson series in which pupils interview their grandparents about migration and origins
- A city walk past sites connected to colonial trade history, with conversations along the way
- A gathering on 1 July (Keti Koti) where old and young commemorate together and reflect on what freedom means
Get involved
Would you like to think along, share a story, or make this work possible? Sign up as a volunteer or contribute to conversations we cannot leave to time alone.
“People become visible again the moment someone sees them — and keeps looking.”
