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Adriaan van Dis , The exhibition’s narrator, a Dutch writer and Africa specialist: ‘The exhibition illustrates a significant aspect of Dutch colonial history in all its nuances. A tale that is both painful and striking, but more especially disturbing and recognisable.’

Martine Gosselink, Head of the History Department at the Rijksmuseum and the exhibition’s producer:‘The arrival of the Dutch changed South Africa once and for all. The population’s composition and the introduction of slavery by the VOC (the Dutch East India Company) result from the ties with our country. But this also applies to the language, Afrikaans, the legal system, the protestant church, the introduction of Islam, the typical façades and the Dutch names on the map. The relationship with South Africa also changed the Netherlands. In this exhibition, around 300 paintings, drawings, documents, photos, items of furniture, souvenirs, tools and archaeological discoveries give a vivid impression of the culture shared and the influence reciprocated by the two countries.’