Kura Hulanda Museum
Als je op Curaçao verblijft, moet Kura Hulanda op je to-do lijstje staan! Dit uitzonderlijk museum ligt in een rustige buurt in Willemstad, Otrobanda. Die wijk bereik je al wandelend via de unieke pondjesbrug, de Koningin Emmabrug.
Het was de Nederlander Jacob Gelt Dekker die het initiatief nam om een groot deel van die vervallen stadswijk te restaureren tot een luxueuze plek. Jarenlang werkten zijn medewerkers aan de restauratie van de 19e-eeuwse huisjes, die nu unieke, kleurige hotelkamers zijn geworden. Elke kamer is anders en met authentieke meubels en stoffen ingericht. De tuin rondom werd aangelegd en er verschenen 2 zwembaden en 3 restaurants voor de (hotel)gasten. Kura Hulanda betekent Hollands erfje. Een gezellige ‘buurt’ sfeer hangt inderdaad in dit luxe hotel.
The museum: a journey of discovery through our history.
Additionally, Gelt Dekker also founded a museum about the history of slavery. The museum opened in 1999 and today possesses the best African collection in the Caribbean. A (guided or self-guided) tour through the museum is highly recommended. It provides a not-so-pleasant but realistic picture of the history of slavery and the interests of slave traders. The drawings, texts, and objects make that history tangible.
The most impressive part of the exhibition is the Black Holocaust. Gruesome objects show how the Black individuals were captured and transported to the New World. Walking through the (reconstructed) hold of a slave ship, you almost feel what it must have been like to be confined or even chained for weeks on a slave ship. Some objects, like the iron collars used to restrain slaves, send shivers down your spine, even in the warm climate of Curaçao.
The role of Curaçao during the slave trade.
At the Kura Hulanda Museum, you also get a good understanding of the role Curaçao played during the slave trade. The country served as a gathering place for slaves for many years. The location where Kura Hulanda now stands was where they were herded together for their next journey.
The African collection
Are you in need of some lighter entertainment after that heavy history? The museum also houses a beautiful collection of art and artifacts from ancient African kingdoms such as Ghana and Mali. You can also visit the outdoor area where you can see some (fairly amateurish) reconstructions of objects, such as a slave hut. Fun for the kids! Some sculptures by African and Antillean artists are also on display. The doll collection is less fun for the little ones; it might give them some bad dreams.
