What is Keti Koti?
Keti Koti is an annual Surinamese holiday. The abolition of slavery is celebrated then. The name comes from the Sranantongo language and means broken chains.
On 1 July 1863, the Kingdom of the Netherlands abolished slavery in Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles with the Emancipation Act. More than 45,000 slaves were set free. Of these slaves, 34,441 were in Surinam.
After liberation, the slave owners received a payment of 300 guilders for each slave. The freedmen received nothing and were obliged to do the same work in Surinam for another ten years.
In the Netherlands, the holiday is also celebrated. On 1 July, there is the annual Keti Koti festival in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, it could not take place in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19.
Patta collection: Anton de Kom
To celebrate Keti Koti, Patta releases two t-shirts with a pocket on the chest. On the back is the head of Anton de Kom. Anton de Kom was a Surinamese anti-colonial writer and nationalist. He wrote the book We slaves of Suriname which came out in 1934.
When De Kom arrived in the Netherlands in 1933, he lectured on colonialism at communist meetings. After the German invasion in 1940 he joined the communist-oriented Dutch resistance. In August '47 he was arrested and placed in the Oranjehotel. Shortly afterwards, de Kom was transferred to Camp Vught. Six months later he died of tuberculosis in Camp Sandbostel.
To this day, we often encounter Anton de Kom in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, there is an Anton de Kom square. In The Hague, there is an Anton de Komstraat and in Zaandam, a bridge is named after the man.
Patta wants to honor Anton de Kom and celebrate the abolition of slavery with these two t-shirts. These shirts are available for €45.00.
Patta collection: Farida Sedoc
Farida Sedoc is an artist from Amsterdam. In her work, she uses different mediums such as screen prints, graphic design, collages, prints and textiles. Sedoc ensures that her work meets the ideology of today's street culture. You can clearly see politics, monetary policy, and descent coming back with a look at globalisation.
Just like last year, Patta is collaborating with this artist for Keti Koti. Patta's previous concept was to have different frizz hair workshops in the shop. This could not take place due to the corona measures. The Amsterdam-based brand came up with the idea of creating a Patta hair salon through graphic design on the garments.
In this collection there are 3 t-shirts, a silk scarf and a toiletry bag. The t-shirts are €45.00, the scarf is €70.00 and the toiletry bag is €117.50.
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