Ketikoti (IPA:[ˈkɪtiˈkɔti]ⓘ), sometimes spelled asKeti Koti (Sranantongo: "the chain is cut" or "the chain is broken"),[1][2] or officiallyDag der Vrijheden (Dutch: Day of the Freedoms), is an annual celebration on 1 July that marksEmancipation Day inSuriname. The day is also known asManspasi Dei orPrisiri Manspasi, meaning "Emancipation" or "Emancipation Festival",[3] orKettingsnijden (Dutch: chain cutting).
Ketikoti marks the date whenslavery was abolished inSurinam in 1863. However, enslaved people in Surinam would not be fully free until 1873, after a mandatory 10-year transition period during which time they were required to work on theplantations for minimal pay and with state-sanctioned force: if they were discovered outside without a pass, they could be jailed.[4] On 1 July 1955,Ketikoti officially became apublic holiday in Suriname. On 30 June 1963, thestatue of Kwakoe was unveiled in Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city to commemorate the abolition of slavery.
After 1873 many slaves left the plantations where they had worked for several generations, in favor of the city ofParamaribo. Former slave owners were compensated. For the 32,911 released people that were kept as slaves in Suriname, an amount ofƒ 9,867,780.00 (in 2020 about €250 million) was paid to slave owners.[5]
As of 2009, several cities in the Netherlands hosted various activities, making this a day of national celebration and remembrance throughout the country.[5] Since 2002, there is an official monument for remembrance of slavery in theKingdom of the Netherlands. ThisNationaal Monument Slavernijgeschiedenis ("National Monument Slavery History") is in theOosterpark inAmsterdam. TheKeti Koti festival[6] marks the date when slavery was abolished in Suriname and theNetherlands Antilles in 1863. The festival organisation also aims to pressure theDutch government for reparations and research. As of 2020, it is still unclear when the first slaves arrived.[5]
