Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A United Nations online discussion titled "Art Remembers: Culture as Witness and Prevention" brought together participants worldwide to consider how creative expression can either normalize hatred or help defuse it. The discussion referenced histories including the transatlantic slave trade, the Holocaust, and the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica. Chaloka Beyani, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, emphasized that hate speech acts as an early warning for atrocity crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, calling for vigilance in shaping narratives.
Valika Smeulders, Head of History at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, discussed the dual nature of cultural institutions—often rooted in histories of domination yet able to confront these legacies. She highlighted the museum’s exhibition "Slavery: Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery," shown at the United Nations in 2023, which features stories such as women who hid rice in their hair during forced transatlantic voyages. These narratives illustrate the foresight and resilience of enslaved individuals, helping audiences recognize them as people with agency and names. Smeulders also noted that transatlantic slavery history has often been separated from European history, but by integrating these stories, the museum connects a single history foundational to contemporary societies in the Netherlands and former Dutch colonies.
The panel took place on Juneteenth, commemorating the 1865 emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, as part of United Nations programming for the International Day countering hate.