NICA recommends | The Slavery Heritage Guide of the Cape – Book Launch

NICA recommends | The Slavery Heritage Guide of the Cape – Book Launch
Date: 28 June 2025
Time: 14:00-17:-00
Location: Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons, Lange Nieuwstraat 7, 3512 PA Utrecht
Speakers: Nancy Jouwe and Carine Zaayman
More information here.

At the end of June, join us at Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons for the book launch of The Slavery Heritage Guide of the Cape, a bilingual publication by Nancy Jouwe and Carine Zaayman that explores the enduring legacy of slavery in the Cape through 80 historically significant locations. This guide offers detailed descriptions, maps, and thematic chapters that illuminate the physical and cultural traces of slavery, shedding light on the lives and resistance of Black and Indigenous communities as well as the colonial systems that profited from their exploitation. By mapping this history onto contemporary landscapes, the guide serves as a vital tool for reckoning with the Dutch colonial structures and understanding their lasting impact today.

The afternoon includes a presentation by Nancy and Carine, with space for conversation and questions, including how artists have tackled these ongoing legacies. Afterwards, we head outside for a guided walk through Utrecht, as part of Nancy’s ongoing practice, visiting signs and traces of colonial links to South Africa that remain visible in the city’s urban landscape.

This special program follows from the exhibition Cape X Utrecht (2023), organized by The Black Archives and Akademiegalerie, which examined the repressed colonial history of the Dutch in South Africa—particularly its relationship to the city of Utrecht—and considered its ongoing impact and possibilities for reparation.

Please stay tuned for the full details of the day. We want to acknowledge the work and care that go into bringing these urgent histories to light—especially in the lead-up to Keti Koti on 1 July, the national day commemorating the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands.

Drinks and snacks are offered throughout the day. No registration is needed.