Dutch author Elena Beelaerts van Blokland is pioneering an innovative educational program that brings nuanced discussions about colonial history and slavery legacy into secondary school classrooms. The initiative, part of the foundation Skrifi’s “Literary View on Our Past” project, utilizes her book “Ach freule” (Oh Baroness) as a springboard for historical exploration.
This week, the author conducted sessions at four schools with three additional institutions scheduled for next week. The curriculum focuses on teaching students how to interpret visual archives and historical sources to document and contextualize personal and collective histories. Each workshop concludes with a practical assignment developed in collaboration with Surinamese writers, providing students with diverse perspectives on colonial narratives. Participating schools receive copies of Beelaerts van Blokland’s book to support ongoing learning.
The program originated during the author’s 2025 visit to Suriname for the book presentation, where she encountered profound interest in deeper understanding of slavery’s historical impacts. Audience members posed compelling questions about intergenerational dialogue, emotional challenges of familial research, and the integration of personal stories within broader historical contexts.
These inquiries evolved into a comprehensive educational framework that brings together writers and artists to examine slavery’s legacy through multiple viewpoints. By connecting individual narratives to historical events, the program makes complex and sensitive topics accessible to younger generations, emphasizing how understanding historical roots informs contemporary identity formation.