Plots(1)
30 May 1969 was an important day in the history of the Antillean island of Cura‡ao. A large group of black labourers marched through the streets of the capital Willemstad. The police tried to maintain order but they were powerless. Then they opened fire on the demonstrators. Two people were killed and hundreds were wounded. The Dutch government sent troops, which caused great political commotion. Born in the Netherlands Antilles himself, filmmaker John Leerdam examines in may 30, 1969 which feelings underlay these events. Was it just the deplorable working conditions or was it the long-standing racial inequality that had spurred the labourers on to action? Leerdam presents a survey of the colonial history of the island, interspersed with interviews about that particular day. All this is embedded in images of present-day Cura‡ao, where violence and unemployment still lead to unrest. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)
(more)