The Kabra Blauw salt shaker

The Kabra Blauw salt shaker is thé memento for the Commemoration of the Dutch Slavery History 2023-2024. This salt shaker is designed by artist Boris van Berkum and created and produced by Heinen Delfts Blauw. In this salt shaker several traditions and a shared history come together as a symbol for connection, recognition and reflection on the past. The appearance of the salt shaker is partly inspired by the Kabra mask that plays a ceremonial role during the National Commemoration of the Dutch Slavery Past, but the decoration and shape are designed in the style of a traditional Delft blue lidded vase, which is a very Dutch product. At the same time, the colors blue and white are also important colors in the Afro-Surinamese culture, where the color combination stands for the ‘Kabra’, the ancestors. Blue represents the royal ancestral line in West Africa, white represents death but also purity. By bringing these African and Dutch traditions together, Kabra Blauw is created. Boris choose a salt shaker because of the salt production during the Dutch slavery period. The mineral was mined from the 17th century by enslaved natives and Africans in the salt pans of Bonaire, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, which was described as the white hell. This salt shaker forms a symbolic reminder of a shared history.