Boost nationalism by keeping the golden carriage in a museum

By Anna Stibbe

Every third Tuesday in September, the Dutch royal family and political élite perform a series of rituals to start the new working year of the Senate and House of Representatives of the Netherlands. On this day, called Prinsjesdag, the King delivers a speech from his throne at the traditional Knight’s Hall. Afterwards, the Budget Memorandum is presented by the Minister of Finance in the House of Representatives. One of the rituals surrounding this day is the competition that all invited women always seem to be engaged in: who can wear the biggest, craziest or most striking hat. Another significant accessory of the day is the briefcase of the Minister of Finance, which has the words “Third Tuesday in September” painted on it in gold. In it is the material the Minister will present that day. Every year, he walks to the House of Representatives with this briefcase in a very theatrical manner. But the most significant ritual of Prinsjesdag is performed at the day’s kick-off, when the King and Queen are ridden to the Knight’s Hall in a golden carriage. Exactly this carriage, on one of its sides, bears a panel that glorifies the Dutch colonial past. This panel is called “Tribute of the Colonies”, and depicts black, half-naked men and women giving presents and bowing down to the Dutch virgin, seated on a throne. These people are from the East- and West Indies, former Dutch colonies. In recent years, protestors have rightfully pointed out the racist connotations of this painting. In 2011, political parties have already asked the former Queen to remove the panel from the vehicle. In 2015, the carriage was taken into restoration by the Amsterdam Museum. This year, it has been announced that after its restoration, the royal vehicle will be exhibited. Then the King will take a decision on its fate. My strong advice to him is: keep the golden carriage where it belongs; in a museum.

The procession of the King and Queen in the golden carriage on Prinsjesdag is supposed to convey a certain meaning. People are supposed to feel a sense of national pride: this is their royalty, parading in such a beautiful and traditional carriage. The rituals performed on the third Tuesday of September are supposed to be rituals the Dutch people get. They should boost their connectedness, their nationalism. This is especially important on a day when the fate of the nation for the new year is presented. During his reign, King Willem-Alexander has been very explicit about his wish to bring people together; connect them. This ideal stands in perfect line with the history of the royal family. When the golden carriage was gifted to former Queen Wilhelmina in 1898 for her 18^th birthday, the royal family was eminently used to boost nationalism and promote unity. But this present was also gifted in a time when racist ideas and practices were still dominant and accepted in Dutch society. Today we live in a different, postcolonial nation, struggling with its history of slavery and racism. The fact that so many people from the Netherlands feel offended by “Tribute of the Colonies”, should already be enough reason for King Willem-Alexander to never use it again. The golden carriage divides rather than that it connects.

Simply removing “Tribute of the Colonies” from the golden carriage, as Dutch political parties suggested in 2011, is not the solution to this problem. The carriage is cultural heritage, exceptionally fit for educating the Dutch population about the country’s colonial history. Educating with the carriage means contextualizing it. Because of the celebratory and nationalistic meaning of Prinsjesdag, it is not possible to contextualize the carriage well on this day itself. Contextualization is best provided by a museum, with texts or video clips explaining the history of the Dutch colonial empire, the golden carriage and its controversy. If the vehicle stays in the Amsterdam Museum, the King can continue using the glass carriage in September. He has already been doing this since the golden carriage was taken into restoration. In fact, the glass carriage was already used by the royal family on Prinsjesdag for decades before the golden carriage was put into use. This fact alone shows that traditions can easily change. Traditions meant to boost national morale should represent the nation whose morale it is trying to boost. It would therefore be wise if King Willem-Alexander decides to keep the golden carriage in a museum forever.