Parts of the exhibition were also shown in Paramaribo, Suriname. The exhibition in the museum was the final piece of the commemorative year '150 years of the abolition of slavery', which was organized by the Dutch embassy in Suriname. The exhibition was visited by almost a quarter of a million people.
The Leusden
In the meeting of the executive board ('de Heeren Tien') of the West India Company (WIC) on 25 October 1718, it was decided to build the ship Leusden. Cornelis Bors van Waveren acted on behalf of the WIC as a client for the construction of The Leusden. He was an administrator of the city of Amsterdam and also lord of Leusden, an estate near Amersfoort. This is how the ship probably got the name The Leusden; directors would often name new WIC ships after their own estates and country estates.
Transatlantic Triangular Trade
In its nineteen years of existence, The Leusden has made a total of ten voyages from West Africa to America, as a part of the transatlantic triangular trade. In total, The Leusden transported 6,564 enslaved Africans, almost a quarter of whom did not survive the crossing. This was partly caused by the appalling conditions on board. Especially the outbreak of infectious diseases was fatal among the prisoners who were transported closely packed.
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The shipwreck
The tenth voyage of the slave ship Leusden ended in disaster on January 1st, 1738. The ship leaked in the mouth of the Marowijne River. Fearing an uprising, the crew locked the prisoners in the hold and hammered the hatches shut. The Leusden capsized and made water, 664 prisoners drowned without a chance. The crew managed to get off the ship safely. They took a chest of gold and sixteen prisoners. In the WIC archives, this accident was dismissed as an industrial accident. In reality, it was the largest shipping disaster in Dutch maritime history. The shipwreck of The Leusden has never been found. Scientist Dr. Leo Balai, who wrote his dissertation on the shipwreck of The Leusden, suspects that it is still in the mouth of the Marowijne.
Dr. Leo Balai wrote an article about the shipping disaster of the Leusden, which is included in the publication ‘Slaven en Schepen’. You can read the article here (Dutch).
In search of the events of 1738
In the museum the visitor himself went in search of the events of 1738, the year in which the slave ship Leusden made its last voyage. Gradually, the visitor learned about the economic background of the slave trade and experienced what life was like on board of a slave ship. During his search, the visitor became acquainted with various people on board The Leusden.
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