On the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, a memorial ceremony was held in Amsterdam. Locals refer to the anniversary of the end of slavery as "Keti Koti," which in Surinamese means "breaking the chains."
The event this year is really noteworthy. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued a formal apology on behalf of the Dutch government late last year for the nation's part in the history of the slave trade. Then, people began to wonder if the Dutch King would officially apologize for the colonial past at this momentous occasion.
