Keti Koti: Commemorating 150 Years

2023

Every year on July 1, the Netherlands, Suriname, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Saba, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao celebrate Keti Koti to commemorate the abolition of slavery. 2023 marked the 150th anniversary of Keti Koti, and BUCK wanted to create something unique to drive awareness of the anniversary and the story of emancipation.

GOODS by BUCK ↗

We created an angisa, a traditional silk scarf from Suriname — along with an animation telling the story of Keti Koti. We’re thrilled that everyone at BUCK Amsterdam contributed their talent and time to this important and memorable day.

During our research through the Dutch National Archive, we found several angisa that visually communicated the powerful story of slavery and its abolition. We instantly connected to the style of visual storytelling that it used, and it inspired us in the creation of our own scarf.

The Concept

Some of the prominent visual elements present in our research were broken chains and cuffed arms. We wove them into our own design in order to honor their iconography and their historical value. We also featured an array of bright colors from the flags of the countries formerly belonging to the Dutch Kingdom, and therefore sharing its history of slavery.

The Campaign

To boost awareness of Keti Koti, in addition to the scarf, there was a social media campaign resulting in over 70,000 views, an out-of-home campaign throughout Amsterdam and around the city’s Keti Koti celebration site, and press coverage by Elle Netherlands.

The Keti Koti angisa designed by the BUCK Amsterdam team is available to purchase at GOODS by BUCK, with all proceeds going to The Black Archives.