Free Heri Heri For All during Keti Koti on July 1

20-6-2022

This July 1^st, ‘Free Heri Heri For All’ will take place. Free Heri Heri For All was developed by KIP Republic in memory of the history of slavery and to connect history with the present. The first edition took place in 2020 with 4,000 free dishes that were distributed across all Amsterdam city districts, the event has since grown into a nationwide celebration with more than 20,000 Heri Heri dishes that will be distributed in eight provinces this year. Free Heri Heri unites society in remembrance of the history of slavery.

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Keti Koti

July 1, 1863 is a day engraved in Dutch history: on this historic day, the abolition of slavery in the Kingdom of the Netherlands took place. Today we celebrate this day under the name Keti Koti, which stands for ‘broken chains’. Where different groups come together to commemorate the complex past, Free Heri Heri For All goes a step further by connecting food, art, culture and people. The goal is to commemorate and celebrate abolition in a connective way, within the

Strength in togetherness

National organizations, individual partners, chefs and thousands of interested people come together during Free Heri Heri For All to honor our enslaved ancestors. The importance of celebrating this day is endorsed by the 50 participating organizations and therefore hundreds of people who are part of this movement. This includes all major city museums including the Tropenmuseum, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, also the Stedelijk Museum, the HipHopHuis in Rotterdam, Eindje 0 Filter in Eindhoven, Kraft Heinz, the ABN AMRO, Google, PVH Clothing Company, Tony’s Chocolonely, Kult&Ace agency, Hammerfest and many more. “Together, we are realizing our own authentic self-proclaimed national holiday that originates from society,” says Ayra Kip on behalf of KIP Republic.

Heri Heri For All connects the history of slavery with the here and now

Prepared according to the original recipe of the Kip family, several chefs are getting ready to realize the 20,000 meals. The colorful presentation of the dish is thanks to the fresh eye of Joris Bijdendijk, known for Restaurant Wils and RIJKS. Heri Heri is a Surinamese dish, created from what was left on the plantation and what was eaten by the enslaved ancestors. The dish consists of sweet potato, green banana, yellow banana, cassava, salty fish (bakkeljauw) and egg. This combination creates a unique palette of flavors, which is also why Heri Heri is considered a delicacy today.

National expansion

In 2021, several cities and regions (such as Tilburg, Almere, Rotterdam and the province of Friesland) already joined Free Heri Heri For All. This year, as many as eight cities and regions are participating including Amsterdam, Almere, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Tilburg, The Hague, Rotterdam and Friesland Province. “For us, the expansion of Free Heri Heri For All shows that people across the country care about this day and that the repeated narrative about disinterest is totally out of touch with the needs of society. The Netherlands is more ready than ever to become aware of this shared history or even to come reconciliated with it”. says Ayra Kip.

Additional activities reinforce the powerful message

In the context of the abolition of slavery, several cities are organizing additional activities as from the end of June. From June 30 to July 2, you can visit the stage play “If A Black Girl Knew” at Huis Oostpool in Arnhem. The play creatively tells the story of how the colonial past affects the self-image of Black women and how Black women are perceived by others. Exhibitions will also take place in other cities including at podium Mozaïek and Theater Bellevue in Amsterdam and Pier 21 in Leeuwarden.

More information about the activities can be found on the websites of the respective participating parties. For a complete list of pickup locations, please consult the website.

Website: Free Heri Heri For All.

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