Caribbean Ties international exhibition opens at Museon
The international travelling exhibition Caribbean Ties will open at Museon in The Hague on Saturday 25 May. It tells the untold story of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and their lives before, during and after European colonisation. Caribbean Ties will be on show simultaneously in 11 countries in the Caribbean as well as in the Netherlands.
The arrival of Columbus in the Bahamas in 1492 marked the beginning of the colonial period and its devastating impact on the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. They were brutally uprooted, enslaved and subjected to war, epidemics and mass deportation. By colonising the Caribbean, Europe became the global centre of economic and political power. The mix of Indians, Europeans, enslaved Africans, small groups of Jews and, later on, contract workers from Asia led to new social relations, and thus the dawning of today’s multicultural Caribbean society. This shocking, fascinating and complex story is told in Caribbean Ties: connected people, then and now. Caribbean Ties invites visitors to explore the role of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean in the history of our world.
Latest research findings
Caribbean Ties presents the latest research findings from the NEXUS1492 project, which is funded by the European Research Council. This prestigious international research project, led by Prof. Corinne Hofman from Leiden University, is a partnership between researchers from Leiden University, VU Amsterdam and the University of Konstanz in Germany. The project focuses on the impact of the arrival of the Europeans in the Caribbean and the interaction between the European, indigenous and African cultures.
The exhibition combines local, regional and global perspectives, and looks at the links between past and present indigenous cultures and today’s multi-ethnic society. With the exhibition, the NEXUS1492 team and partner institutions hope to involve the public in their research and create awareness of and preserve an indigenous past that is shared by us all.
Caribbean Ties is the result of a unique collaboration between NEXUS1492 and partners in the Caribbean and the Netherlands. It has been translated into six languages, and, alongside Museon in The Netherlands, will be on show at 11 locations in the Caribbean in the Dominican Republic, St. Eustatius, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Aruba, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Barbados. There are also plans to bring the exhibition to more countries in the Caribbean.
Opening festival
Caribbean Ties can be seen at Museon in the Netherlands from 25 May 2019 to 21 June 2020. The exhibition will open on 25 May with an opening festival. It will be an informal afternoon about the Caribbean and its past and present inhabitants with a varied programme including talks, workshops, Caribbean food and products, music and a talk show on the Caribbean identity.