MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER Het Archief van de Middelburgsche Commercie compagnie (MCC) (Archives Trade Company of Middelburg) (Netherlands, Curacao and Suriname) Ref N°2010-73 PART A – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION 1 SUMMARY The Archive of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie (MCC) (the archives of the Trade Company of Middelburg), are both a unique and, from a global perspective, crucial collection of documentary heritage, that allows a greater understanding of the Slave trade in the so-called triangle trade from Middelburg, the capital of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, across the Atlantic in the 18th century (1730-1800). Why is this collection so important and of universal value? What does it contain? In the 18th century, the province of Zeeland and the city of Middelburg in particular became the most important centre of the Slave trade in the Dutch Republic due to the decline of the Dutch West Indian company (WIC) as the result of the abolition of their charter for the Atlantic Slave trade in 1720. The archive of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagny enhances the general understanding of the Slave trade and more specifically it highlights the details of this kind of trade. The archive of the Middelburgschse Commercie Compagnie comprises one of the most complete and thus comprehensive set of archives of this kind, which makes it possible to explore crucial aspects of the “daily life”of the slave traders as well of their human cargo. Thus, this unique part of our cultural heritage presents value means to develop a better understanding of the Dutch Atlantic Slave trade in the 18th century. Both at national and international level, these archives belong, because of their completeness, to the most well preserved slave trade related archives. The archives are kept in the Zeeuws Archief (Zeeland Archives) in Middelburg, the Netherlands. This governmental organisation is strongly involved in several digitization programs in the Netherlands and in a number of programs designed to make archives better accessible to the public. (http://www.zeeuwsarchief.nl.) In 2000 a new infrastructure was implemented and created a state of the art archival facility witch a storage capacity of 27 running kilometres and storage facilities for hundreds of thousands (technical) drawings and maps, located in the historic city centre of Midelburg. The community of scholars working on the economic, social and cultural aspects of the transatlantic slave trade have been familiar with the Middelburgschse Commercie Compagnie since the publication of its inventory in 1951 ( Het Archief der Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie, Unger, W.S. / Ministerie van Onderwijs, Kunsten en Wetenschappen/ 1951 ) The documents of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie are not only of unique value for the Netherlands, but also for Curacao and Suriname. They are also part of the history and documentary heritage of these countries. The MCC archives are an irreplaceable international documentary heritage of extraordinary richness. This collection is more complete and richer in details than those of other slave trade companies in the world. The archive of the MCC is a well-preserved and eloquent universal monument of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Therefore this nomination is also lodged by the Minister of Home Affairs of Suriname and the Director of Kas di Kultura (Department of Culture) and Museo Tula in Curacao. The archives of the MCC cast light not only on the creation of Suriname and the way it was colonized, but also on the role that the institution of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade played. The justification for inscription, as far as it concerns Curaçao are the following. The documents of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie are of universal value for Curaçao based on the fact that through these documents the researcher on the history of slavery in Curaçao is able to get a detailed survey of: • All the voyages done between 1730 and 1807, (including the period of the largest slave rebellion in Curaçao in the year 1795), to the slave deposit of Curacao, an overview of how many enslaved Africans were brought from Angola and the coast of Guinea to Curacao; the price paid for those enslaved, both sold by auction or for private sale; the merchandise sold in Western Africa and the products brought back from the colonies to Middelburg. • Most importantly, the researcher will get an insight in the daily lives on board of the slave ships, the death toll per ship, the resistance on the ships, coming to Curacao, the attitude of the slave captains concerning the human cargo, in particular through the letters and the journals. • The MCC archives are an irreplaceable documentary heritage of extraordinary richness. This collection is more complete and richer in details than those of other Slave trade companies in the world. • One of the goals of the UNESCO, in particular through the project “Breaking the Silence”, is the necessity of an increased awareness of the causes and consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, or the triangular trade, in particular through educational projects. The MCC documents because of their detailed reproduction of the slave trade are at the same time an excellent tool for elaboration in educational projects on the transatlantic slave trade. • The documents explain how and why such an inhuman trade could be conducted. These papers address all the key issues, in order to understand the context and to recognize its relevance for all of us today. The spotlight must be put on the universal value of these documents. 2 DETAILS OF THE NOMINATOR 2.1 Name (person or organisation) Zeeuws Archief (Zeeland’s Archives centre) 2.1.1 Relationship to the documentary heritage nominated The Zeeland’s Archives centre is the keeper of the respective archive. 2.2 Name (person or organisation) Maurits S. Hassankhan, Minister of Home Affairs, Suriname 2.2.1 Relationship to the documentary heritage nominated The archives of the MCC are also part of the documentary heritage of Suriname 2.3 Name (person or organisation) Dr. Mr. Renee V. Rosalia, Director Kas di Kultura in Curacao Drs. Jeanne Henriquez M.A., Coordinator Museo Tula in Curacao 2.3.1 Relationship to the documentary heritage nominated The archives of the MCC are also part of the documentary heritage of Curacao 2.4 Contact person (s) Drs. Roelof L. Koops, director and head of the Zeeland Archives, 2.4 Contact details (include address, phone, fax, email) Hofplein 16, Post-box 70, 4330 AB Middelburg, The Netherlands Tel. + 31 118 67 88 00 Fax + 31 118 62 80 94 E-mail address [email protected] 3 IDENTITY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE 3.1 Name and identification details of the items being nominated Het Archief van de Middelburgsche Commercie compagnie, Zeeland Archief, Middelburg. This archive is described in “Het Archief der Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie”, Unger, W.S. / Ministerie van Onderwijs, Kunsten en Wetenschappen, ’s-Gravenhage, 1951 See: http://www.archieven.nl/db/0/toegang/239/20/ 3.2 Description The Archive of the Middelburgschse Commercie Compagnie hold numbers 1-1778; is 72 metres and contains written and printed documents, registers, parchments, maps and several drawings. There is an inventory of the archive available at: UNGER (W.S.), Het Archief der Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Kunsten en Wettenschappen, ’s-Gravenhage, 1951. The inventory is also available on-line: http://www.archieven.nl/db/0/toegang/239/20/ 4 JUSTIFICATION FOR INCLUSION/ ASSESSMENT AGAINST CRITERIA 4.1 Is authenticity established? (see 4.2.3) The “Middelburgschse Commercie Compagnie” clearly demonstrates the value of an archive as a original source of documenting history, of which the authenticity is established by the maker of the inventory dr. W.S. Unger as described in the paragraph “Het Archief”, pages 12- 14 of the inventory. 4.2 Is world significance, uniqueness and irreplaceability established? (see 4.2.4) The scholars that have studied the archive of the Middelburgse Commercie Compagnie have confirmed the extraordinary richness, completeness and irreplaceability of this documentary heritage. It captures the history of the Atlantic slave trade in the 18th century and in particular the history of this triangular slave trade from Zeeland in the 18th century, the century that this province is dominant in that kind of trade in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands . 4.3 Is one or more of the criteria of (a) time (b) place (c) people (d) subject and theme (e) form and style (f) social, spiritual and community significance satisfied? (See 4.2.5) All of the criteria are satisfied. Criterion 1 – Time: The archives were created in Middelburg at the time (18th century ), the period during which the Dutch slave trade gravitated from Amsterdam to Middelburg. It concern one of the prime sources for this period that brings to light some of the smallest subtleties of the phenomena of the slavery and the slave trade. Criterion 2 – Place: The Dutch Republic was still a major centre of the world economy in the 18th century and the province of Zeeland was one of its most thriving provinces at that time. In relation to the slave trade, Zeeland was in the 18th century the dominant and most “successful” province in the Dutch Republic. Criterion 3 – People: The documentary heritage provides an overview of how many enslaved Africans were brought from Angola and the coast of Guinea to Curacao and Suriname as well as the price paid for those enslaved, both sold by auction or privately. More importantly, however, this documentary heritage gives a valuable insight in the daily lives on board of the slave ships, the death toll per ship, the resistance on the ships from time to time, and the attitude of the slave captains concerning their human cargo.