Let us look and feel and acknowledge

Today is the day of Keti Koti

On this day

I and with me

So many others 

Dwell on the fact

That 150 years ago

Slavery was abolished in the Netherlands

By no means that means

That the book

Of that era

Can be closed

Let us keep the book open

Let us look and feel for that time

A time where people were made slaves

A time that people were forced

To work without salary

A time that people were

Beaten, whipped or raped

A time where people were

Totally stripped from dignity

Let us look and feel for that time

A time where those awfull things only happened 

Because of the long for richness

Because of the long for splendor en wealth 

At the cost of grief and sorrow

At the cost of hopelessness and dispair

Let us understand right in this moment

That is it necessary 

To look and feel

To acknowledge

That the situation back then

Has consequences in our days now

For a lot of us who still feel the yoke

For a lot of us who meet

Less opportunities

More judgments

Because of our skin color

Let us look and feel

And acknowledge