About NiNsee
The National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy occupies itself with the history of Dutch Slavery and its impact on society.  NiNsee is a centre for expertise.

Mission
The mission of Ninsee is to develop and position itself as the national symbol of the shared legacy of Dutch slavery and the collective future of all Dutch people. We strive to shed light on the history of Dutch slavery and its impact on Dutch society from varied and diverse perspectives, on an international and national level.

Objectives
The institute has the goal of realising a nuanced and realistic image of Dutch slavery and its legacy from various perspectives in order to make this history and its impact visible; to remember, to commemorate, and to process this history for future generations.

Address:

NiNsee is located on the 2nd floor of in the building with the City Archives of Amsterdam in the Vijzelstraat near Rembrandtplein and Kalverstraat. This building is also known as 'De Bazel'.

Vijzelstraat 32
1017 HL Amsterdam
Tel: 020 251 1836
E-mail: info@ninsee.nl

National
The decision to establish the institute was influenced by the many national and international developments taking place. On the national front, descendants of slaves question the recognition of their heritage and the impact it has on their position in the current society. There is also a growing interest in the Dutch colonial past and a general development towards reconsidering, recalibrating and rewriting the historiography of the former Dutch overseas colonies. Dutch slavery occurred in concrete forms outside of the Netherlands; in Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and the west coast of Africa, Ghana.

International
Internationally, slavery and its impact are receiving a lot of attention. At the Anti-Racism conference in Durban, South Africa, the transatlantic slave trade and slavery were declared crimes against humanity. Globally there are many institutes dedicated to the study of slavery such as Kura Hulanda in Curaçao, the Schomburg Institute in New York and the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation and the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

History
In 1999, the Landelijke Platform Slavernijverleden took the initiative to erect a monument with a static and dynamic dimension; the National Monument for Dutch Slavery and its Legacy.  On 1 July, 2002 in the Oosterpark, Amsterdam, the static monument was unveiled in the presence of her Royal Majesty Queen Beatrix and many other honoured guests from the Netherlands and abroad.  The dynamic monument, the National Institute for Dutch Slavery and its Legacy (NiNsee) was opened on 1 July, 2003 upon the national commemoration of the abolition of slavery 140 years ago.  

Domains

Ninsee strives toward the realisation of a balanced and realistic view of the history of Dutch slavery and its legacy. From various perspectives, the history of the Dutch participation in the slave trade will be examined in order to make that history and its inheritance visible; to remember, to commemorate and to process. This becomes evident in research and activities in four different domains;….