Anton de Kom: 'Free today, free forever'

Date: 07 November
Time: 19:30 - 21:30
Location: KB nationale bibliotheek

This events takes place in Dutch.

On 25 November 2025, Suriname will celebrate 50 years of independence. To mark this occasion, the KB National Library is organizing a series of events throughout November — including this evening dedicated to the life and legacy of Anton de Kom (1898–1945), the Surinamese anti-colonial writer and resistance fighter.

De Kom was both a voice for the Surinamese people and an active member of the Dutch resistance during World War II. His life and work touch on enduring themes of colonialism, social inequality, racism, workers’ rights, and the struggle for freedom and justice.

This evening will explore multiple perspectives on De Kom — as a person, writer, activist, and symbol of resistance and emancipation.

Dr. Thalia Ostendorf from the Anton de Kom Foundation will use archival materials to shed light on who De Kom was as an individual and his role as a pioneer. Was he already advocating for independence? How has he inspired later generations?
Huibert Crijns will discuss how De Kom was portrayed by contemporaries and the media: was he seen as a communist, a troublemaker, or an independent thinker? His choices will be placed in the broader context of workers’ movements and resistance in the 1930s and 1940s.
In the 1930s, De Kom spoke out for the rights of workers of colour in Suriname. Dutch and Surinamese media labelled him a communist agitator, while the communist newspaper De Tribune defended him. During World War II, De Kom joined the communist-oriented resistance — yet he was never a member of the Communist Party of Holland. Was Anton de Kom truly a communist, or did he chart his own independent course?
Representatives from The Black Archives will discuss how De Kom is remembered today, and his role in collective memory and identity.

The evening will conclude with an open conversation between the speakers (Thalia Ostendorf, Huibert Crijns, and The Black Archives) and the audience about the ongoing relevance of Anton de Kom’s ideas: