Kura Hulanda Museum in Willemstad
Kura Hulanda Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the brainchild of Jacob Gelt Dekker, a Dutch entrepreneur and self-made multi-millionaire. The museum is dedicated to explaining to Curaçaons and tourists the history of the slave trade in which Curaçao played an outsized role in the Caribbean and South America. Jacob did not sugarcoat the brutal role that his Dutch forebears played in perpetrating what many believe is the single most evil event in human history – the forced diaspora of millions of native Africans from their homeland over a period of hundreds of years, writes Dale Dunlop.
The museum is actually divided into two distinct sections – the first is dedicated to the history of African slavery, which is the focus of the guided tour and the second is an excellent collection, believed to be the best in the Caribbean. The collection includes African artifacts such as masks, fetishes, bronzes, musical instruments, among others. There is also a small sculpture garden where one can see a collection of busts.
RELATED STORIES
Leg irons, tramp cage, slave ship replica, slave traps, West Africa map and Chronology of the Slave Trade in Curacao are also available to be seen.
