Black History Month 2010

On February 19th the third edition of Black History Month off at Erasmus University Rotterdam. This year’s theme, ‘Generation Next’, focused on second and third generation black youths, most of whom can trace their descent to Africa via (former) Dutch colonies. What are their views on success and how do they try to achieve success in Dutch society? These were the questions we aimed to answer.

On February 19^th we started with a presentation by Dr. Artwell Cain, director of NiNsee (National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy). Based on his own academic research he mapped out pitfalls on the road to success of black youths especially, but also the pitfalls for other ethnic minorities. He went into the effects of slavery and clearly stated that the current generation is not a victim of slavery. Following his presentation there was room for discussion with the audience and two panel members. The panel members were GMB, a successful hip-hop artist of Cape Verdean descent, and A. Biekman, a young woman of Surinamese descent who is co-owner of Young EDBR.

The audience was lively and willing to give their viewpoints on success. In response to the discussion statement that had most itching to voice their opinions, “The title ‘Black Businesswoman of the Year’ is not a true measure of success” a member of the audience said: “I will not only try to be the best businesswoman of my own community, I shall strive to be the best of the Netherlands!” During the mini-quiz about black history questions like, “Which of the following countries was the first to be independent?” were answered correctly by most audience members. In conclusion, guest speakers and audience could enjoy the remainder of the evening at bar-restaurant ‘Siena’ of Erasmus University.

On February 26^th the second part of ASAH’s Black History Month was held. On this day a workshop called ‘Boyz ‘N Girlz In Da Hood’ was given by guest speakers Andrew Muhammad a.k.a. ‘The Investigator’ and Sophia Skeen a.k.a ‘Lady Wizdom’.  The audience was inspired by Muhammad’s presentation about roads to success. By going into the history of ‘street culture’ and by showing the hidden messages of popular movies, he put emphasis on the attributes one needs to become successful in life. Sophia Skeen regaled the story of her own rebellious childhood that lead to teen pregnancy and low marks in school. She shared how focus, inspiration and discipline made her the successful young woman she is now. 

The second part of Black History Month 2010 was concluded with a number of performances by Fidjuz Di Cabral, Leroy a.k.a. Black, Marise & Isabel and GMB.

ASAH got lots of positive remarks and feedback from those who attended. The third edition of Black History month was a tremendous success and we look forward to seeing you at our other events.

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