News
Veni grant: Slavery, heritage and tourism in Ghana, Suriname, Netherlands
Assistant Professor Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong of the Cultural Geography Group has been awarded a Veni grant for a research project which examines how tourism transforms slavery-related heritage sites in Ghana, Suriname and The Netherlands.
The research process will inspire public memories and discussions about the effects of slavery in terms of belonging, discrimination and racism in contemporary society. This research will provide insights about places of remembrance and underlines the cultural value of heritage tourism in stimulating public engagement and in understanding and coming to terms with the past.
The full title of the project is: Touring the Past, Transforming the Present: Slavery, Heritage and Tourism in the Ghana-Suriname-Netherlands Triangle. It will be carried out in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The Veni is awarded by NWO every year and this year a total of 1,176 researchers submitted an admissible research proposal for funding. Out of this number, 161 applicants have now been granted. The submissions were assessed by means of peer review by external experts from the disciplines concerned. NWO selected the proposed research projects based on the quality of the researcher, the innovative character of the research, the expected scientific impact of the research proposal and the possibilities for knowledge use.
Together with Vidi and Vici, Veni is part of the NWO Talent Programme. Veni is aimed at excellent researchers who have recently obtained their doctorate. Researchers in the Talent Programme are free to submit their own subject for funding. NWO thus encourages curiosity-driven and innovative research.