Global Slavery History Fellowships
A coalition of Amsterdam based Archives, Museums and Historical institutes* with the generous support of the Insinger Foundation has taken the initiative for a five-year programme that offers two-month long fellowships per year for curators, archivists and historians in the field of slavery history, starting in the Fall of 2024.
The fellowships are open to professionals working on the history of slavery in the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Indonesian archipelago, linked to the Dutch involvement in slave trade and slave labour.
The attention to the Dutch colonial slavery past has increased considerably over the last years. Especially communities that were subject to the contemporary ramifications such as systemic racism pushed for acknowledgement and changes in perspectives and priorities within academic institutions, museums and archives. A missing link is the input and expertise of inhabitants of societies that were colonized and where slavery and other forms of forced labour were rampant. The slavery past has a broad and pervasive impact, both in personal histories and the social structures of these societies. The questions, perspectives, and expertise of young professionals (especially historians, archivists, librarians, and curators) from societies affected by this colonial slavery past and its knock-on effects in the Americas, Africa, and Asia are essential to inform contemporary debates about and dealing with the slavery past. The fellowships aim to support this group of young professionals.
* Allard Pierson Museum/UB, Amsterdam Museum, The Black Archives, IISG, NINSEE, Rijksmuseum, Stadsarchief Amsterdam, UvA, Wereldmuseum.
Javier Estupiñán is an audiovisual artist from the Canary Islands whose artistic approach intertwines with his curatorial practices. Since 2022, he co-directs Vega de Agua, an art initiative that develops art residencies and other cultural projects focused on collective and multidisciplinary practices. His works are directly linked to experimentation and often delve into potential pasts to reclaim stories that have been marginalized or hidden.
For the Global Slavery History Fellowship, Javier Estupiñán aims to explore the role of the Netherlands in the overlooked history of slavery in the Canary Islands. During this research, he intends to create an audiovisual piece that challenges the prevailing 'paradise' image of the Canary Islands in European collective memory. By highlighting the colonial past and the historical significance of the archipelago as a strategic location in the transatlantic trade of enslaved people, this work seeks to provoke critical reflection on the complex history of these islands and their ties to Europe.
Toluwanimi Owolana is a Nigerian artifact biographer and researcher with seven years of experience designing engagement programs that promote Indigenous narratives and revitalize cultural heritage. She specializes in unraveling the stories behind ancient artifacts to connect contemporary audiences with the past. She is a fellow of the Connecting the Dots Museum Fellowship, hosted by the Goethe-Institut, Nigeria in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the National Museum Benin. She is a recipient of the Cultural Heritage Forward program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the Smithsonian Institution. She is also an alumna of the Hague Academy for Local Governance, The Netherlands where she furthered her expertise on the inclusion of marginalized groups in the cultural industry.
While in Amsterdam for the Global Slavery Fellowship, her research will be centered on “Decolonizing racialized toys from the late 19th century through digital illustration and artifact biography.” This combined methodology opens space for transformative dialogue on representation, memory, and the reclamation of cultural identity. By reframing artifacts with painful connections to slavery, this project seeks to promote decolonizing practices within museums, foster restorative justice, and encourage a renewed perspective of cultural respect and representation. Through a decolonizing perspective on artifacts, this project will support the Global Slavery Fellowship by fostering a deeper understanding and empathy for the lived experiences these objects represent. It aims to encourage restorative justice and inspire fresh innovation in the portrayal of marginalized communities
