WELCOME BACK! LET’S TALK ABOUT BLACK HISTORY…IN EUROPE!
We just returned from the AmaWaterways Soulful Experience riverboat cruise through The Netherlands and Belgium. Seven cities across two countries and we learned Black history that gets left out of Europe’s recollection of “history.”
See what we learned below and relive the full experience through the videos.
TRAVEL
5 BLACK HISTORY FACTS WE LEARNED IN EUROPE!
The Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium
Here are five facts that we learned:
1. The Moors Built Europe's Intellectual Foundation
Before 1492, Black African and Arab Muslims established universities, libraries, and medical innovations across Europe. Then the Moors were defeated, their libraries burned, and their inventions credited to Europeans—the same erasure playbook used during slavery.
2. Amsterdam Literally Owned Suriname
The city of Amsterdam—not just merchants, but the city itself—was one of three owners of Suriname. Those million-euro canal houses? Built on stolen land and stolen labor. Forty percent of plantation owners were women. This was the entire society.
3. The Maroons Defeated the Dutch Military—103 Years Before Abolition
Enslaved Africans in Suriname escaped, formed independent societies, and defeated the Dutch military. Peace treaties were signed in 1760—103 years before official abolition. Abolition wasn't a moral awakening. It was resistance that forced their hand.
4. The Dutch West India Company Kidnapped 600,000 Africans
Fort Elmina in Ghana was controlled by the Dutch for 235 years. When plantation owners placed an order, they'd load human beings onto ships and deliver them like cargo through Rotterdam. And 600,000 is just the recorded number—it doesn't count children born into slavery.
5. Black Pete Was Based on Enslaved People—And We Got It Removed
The Netherlands had a Christmas tradition where people painted their faces black and portrayed enslaved "helpers." But Black and white Dutch people organized, demonstrated, and by 2015, every major city removed Black Pete. That's in our lifetime. Change is possible.
CULTURE
RELIVE OUR BLACK HISTORY EXPERIENCE IN EUROPE!
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@culturetravelsmedia WE must give our flowers to Jazzmine Douse , the creator of the Soulful Experience with @AmaWaterways . She saw Black travelers getting ov... See more
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BEHIND THE SCENES OF FLAVORS OF TRAVEL—ETHIOPIAN & ERITREAN CUISINE
The next episode of Flavors of Travel drops on March 14th! We’re serving up Ethiopian! Watch the trailer below.
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