SOEKTSA FOUNDATION IN SURINAME

The soektsa foundation  in Suriname, is gearing up for this year's youth camps and vacation jungle walks in the rainforest of Misgunst plantation in Saramacca district which was named after the Saramacca river.

Guests, visitors and residents who have tasted the friendliness, inhaled the fresh air and relaxed in  open  camps  have first hand experience of our slogan RELAX AND LEARN. They know  what  you will find when you take a turn to the Hendrik Jan Tjoe Nij road  

The jungle survival camps which were organized in 2014 enabled more than 30 youths from Saramacca and Wanica to  experience the beauty of our plantation our district and our rainforest.

Without exception all participants of last year's camps asked for more and wanted another chance to go into the forest with the guides and survival trainers.

Soektsa's  cooperation with organizations both in the Saramacca district and in Paramaribo made it possible that for the first time Misgunst plantation became the home for young people who had the time of their lives with expert guidance of trainers and caretakers during the survival camp weekends.
Thanks to  generous donations from Staatsolie and other Surinamese businesses and material as well as technical support from the National Army, the year 2014 was a successful survival camp year which needs follow up. Our policy is to continue
to inspire donors and sponsors  to contribute to the funding of youth camps for Surinamese youths

 who are empowered to trust their own capabilities and who are taught  to love their country and look at nature and culture with different eyes.

Soektsa foundation not only catered for groups of young students but also enabled individuals and tourists from abroad to  relax and learn about plantation history in Saramacca, Suriname and experiencing the unique walk to the majestic kankantrie tree at the end of the Misgunst jungle path.
Last year's cooperation with Jaya Experience from the Netherlands will be continued this year, enabling individuals and groups from abroad as well as  locals to enjoy what Soektsa has to offer.

Enjoy the luxury of pure nature, fresh oxygen, and guides who cater to your needs on the plantation, in a natural environment in which  birds, monkeys , and other insects, reptiles and forest dwellers are at home too.
contact SOEKTSA at soektsa@gmail.com or soektsaboskopu@gmail.com, telephone +597-8880484

Names and peoples

The names given to people and places  in Suriname during the time of colonial domination have lasted longer than the colonizers. It is interesting to notice how easily the occupied territory of the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas and the Caribbean received European names which are still taught to our young students in school today.

The names of Taino and Kalinya who inhabited the Caribbean region as well as those of the many peoples in North, Central and South America were replaced by European inventions suited to European dreams and tastes.

It is well known that the Americas  were named after  the Portuguese pirate Amerigo Vespucci who sailed the Caribbean seas in search of treasures to fill the royal coffers of his European masters who financed his journey. His colleague and rival Columbus was looking for a new route towards India where the spices, precious stones, indigo and treasured silks were coveted by the Spanish royal court.
Today the world is confronted with many statues and tributes to honor Columbus, the man who could be held responsible for the renaming of indigenous  peoples of the Caribbean territory.

Columbus saw Taino on the Caribbean Islands and thought he had arrived in India calling the inhabitants Indians. Since the local population fiercely resisted the rude European intruders and ate them after killing them they were called Cannibals by the Europeans,which resulted in the name given to our region as the Caribbean.
Today many Surinamese inhabitants call themselves Indians rather than Kalinya , Taino , Arawac , Trio or Wayana. In fact many young Surinamese do not know who the original inhabitants of Suriname are  and how their origins relate to modern day Surinamese history.

In the same way Suriname's natural environment was renamed. A good example is the Tumuchumac mountain range which extends from Brazil to the Surinamese and French Guyanese territories.
The river which was called Shuruma by the Arawac original inhabitants became the Saramacca river after European colonizers sailed it and settled along its banks. According to modern schoolbooks the Saramacca river has its source in the Emma mountain chain in the Wilhelmina Mountain range which in fact is part of the Tumuchumac mountain range.  Dutch colonizers honored their Dutch queens Emma and Wilhelmina by giving their names to local Surinamese mountains covered by pristine rainforest.
There are many more examples of the way colonization robbed us of our own names and renamed places and people which originated in our region and who still are here today.
Even today the tradition of renaming inhabitants from the regions where the european colonial exploitation took place continues in Europe where "foreigners" receive all kinds of names to indicate they are not accepted as fully equal  to their white European fellow citizen.
Decolonization of the mind and hearts of young and old in Suriname begins with reclaiming our own names and rewriting our own history to suit our own memory of ourselves as peoples who were free and never gave up fighting for freedom.

Plantage Misgunst Eco Kamp Saramacca

Plantage Misgunst

Eco Kamp

Aan de linkeroever van de Saramacca rivier gaat de H.J. Tjoe Nij weg het bos in.

Daar biedt het Misgunst Eco Kamp een uitstekende gelegenheid om de sfeer  van het leven op de plantage te  voelen.

De gasten van Misgunst Eco Kamp zullen ontdekken hoe luxe  een nieuwe

definitie krijgt in een origineel Indiaans Kamp gemaakt van stammen die in 

de Misgunst bossen zijn gekapt.

Het open kampvuur, de hangmat accomodatie, de rustige en vreedzame omgeving 

dragen bij aan een unieke moderne plantage ervaring.

De vogelspotter, visser en liefhebber van rust en vrede hebben de kans wat zij

zoeken te vinden.

Misgunst eco Kamp maakt gebruik van regenwater en zonne energie en voegt geen chemische middelen toe aan de zelfgeteelde groenten.

Bezoekers kunnen wandelingen maken in het tropisch regenwoud op de plantage Misgunst.

Men kan ook een gids huren die verschillende jungle routes kiest voor de bestudering van een brede varieteit aan bomen, medicinale planten, kruiden, en insecten in de jungle.

Op tien minuten afstand van Misgunst Eco Kamp vinden we de hoofdstad Groningen van het district Saramacca.

 Groningen is een van de oude forten in de Nederlandse verdedigingslinie.  

In Groningen introduceerden Nederlandse boeren in de 19de eeuw  de veeteelt in Suriname.

Plantage Migunst Eco Kamp kan bereikt worden per bus die op weg naar de Maho weg stopt bij de H.J. Tjoe Nij weg.  

In Paramaribo vertrekt er twee maal per dag een bus naar Groningen vanaf het busstation aan de Heiligenweg om 08.30 uur AM en om 16.00 uur PM.

Het Misgunst Eco Kamp biedt de mogelijkheid aan kleine groepen om in een vredige omgeveing workshops te organiseren  zonder  stadse afleidingen.

Het Misgunst Eco Kamp kan ook omgevormd worden tot een klein theater voor voorstellingen en tentoonstellingen van locale en andere artiesten.

Uw bezoek zal u energie geven en u zult terug willen komen voor een volgend bezoek.

CONTACT VOOR 

RESERVERINGEN

Telefoon :

 +597 8880484

Email     :

soektsa@gmail.com

Suriname faces major challenges.

The election results have been officially accepted by all political parties in Suriname and President Bouterse will have to thoroughly instruct and inspire his new government which is facing major challenges.
Nationally the demand for measures to curb corruption and nepotism is sounding loud and clear, while the gap between poor and rich is widening . After  his 2000-2005  government made huge investments in gold and mining industries in Suriname, we  have seen  a decline in the price of the precious mineral ore on the global markets. Suriname's economic climate is troubled by steep uncontrolled rise of prices for commodities  such as vegetables, meat, housing and transportation, while salaries have not been raised at the same pace. During the election campaign all parties involved promised austerity measures and agreed that the Surinamese economy needs to be revised and upgraded to live up to  international standards in terms of local and international  production and export achievements.
It is hard for the poor sections of Surinamese society to feed , clothe and send the children to school on a small or minimal budget, especially if transportation to the education centers is so costly.
It is even harder for a minister, who supports a clique of  corrupted officials, to explain to the workers and the Surinamese people in general that austerity measure are justified.
Given the small scale of Surinamese society, with only half a million people inhabiting only 20% of the national territory, any wrongdoing by officials will be known pretty easily and is hard to cover up.
At the same time the doom scenarios which oppositional politicians have been predicting, leading up to the elections, have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The election results show that the majority of voters have faith that with the leadership of President Bouterse a change is possible. The voters have faith that the corruption and nepotism ,which are historical characteristic of any post colonial Caribbean political system, can be tackled to the advantage of the Surinamese people.
It is extremely important to keep the momentum of change which has taken over, after the bitter and irresponsible political mudslinging episode of the final election days. The moment of change is offering breathing space. We already notice that the ugly downward spiral which was so characteristic of the past six months of political debating has changed and is turning towards collective positive approach of the many problems that need to be tackled. It will be a great achievement if the new government  can mobilize the  majority of our politicians to get the job done. Bouterse has to inspire the Surinamese people to collectively and massively put their shoulders under the big tasks ahead. The biggest of which will be  the task of  cleaning up a stilted and polluted political climate and the creation of a newsocial order which  is democratic and educates the people on what needs to be done to improve our living conditions. Any new government that fails to get economic progress on the map and keeps corruption going, will be unacceptable to Surinamese voters who have noticed that through hard work change on the political front is possible here in Suriname.

Samenwerking voor ontwikkeling

De opdracht aan elke Surinamer is het tot stand brengen van duurzame ontwikkeling door de natuurlijke hulpbronnen middels samenwerking te exploiteren ten voordele van alle Surinamers.

Mooi gezegd maar met een geschiedenis die verdeeldheid en uitbuiting ten grondslag heeft gehad is het niet verwonderlijk dat juist de samenwerkingsopdracht een zeer moeilijke blijkt te zijn voor de Surinamer. Natuurlijk geldt dit niet alleen voor Surinamers, maar in feite wordt de beleving van Surinamer zijn pas sinds 1975 opnieuw gedefinieerd.  Hoewel 'trots zijn op je land' hoog in het vaandel staat bij de meeste Surinamers lijkt de Surinaamse praktijk van klaagzangen, corruptie en kritieken anders uit te wijzen.

Natuurlijk is het niet alleen zwart wit en natuurlijk wordt er samengewerkt op vele nivo's anders was Suriname niet geklommen op de wereld ranglijst van landen waar honger en armoede met succes worden bestreden. Wie in Suriname goed oplet zal inderdaad niet kunnen ontkennen dat de vele bouw- aktiviteiten, toenemende productie  en het groeiend aantal schoolgebouwen en opleidingsinstituten aangeven dat er wel degelijk ontwikkeling op gang is gebracht.
Wie zich verdiept in de Surinaamse realiteit in stad en district, zal niet kunnen ontkennen dat er in de meeste districten een inhaalslag gaande is op organisatorisch, bestuurlijk en economisch  nivo. Het invulling geven aan de opdracht om samen te werken is niet alleen voor de verschillende ministeriele disciplines, maar ook regionaal in de verhouding tussen stad en district een levensgrote uitdaging voor de bewoners van ons land.  We kunnen ook toegeven dat, hoewel ons land een geschiedenis van hard werken kent, wij nog steeds worstelen met  de last van de koloniale verdeel en heers erfenis die ons afhankelijk hield van Nederland.

Wanneer de Surinaamse  inheemse arbeider , de afrikaanse academicus, de hindoestaanse landbouwer, de creoolse verpleegster, de javaanse kunstenaar en de chinese winkelier de opdracht  krijgen van hun partijleiders om samen te werken  om vrije en geheime verkiezingen te organiseren,  kunnen ze dat heel goed. Dit betekent niet dat de verdeeldheid op grond van ras en religie niet aantoonbaar storend tot uiting kan komen. Integendeel blijkt  bij de samenwerking dat  botsingen tussen traditioneel gescheiden bevolkingsgroepen tot de dag van vandaag merkbaar zijn. Toch is elke Surinamer anno 2015 zich ervan bewust dat samenwerking de enige optie is voor de tot standkoming van  welvaart en ontwikkeling in ons geliefd land.

Samenwerking veronderstelt het vermogen om  onderscheid te maken tussen het 'ons' en 'wij' gevoel en dit te laten overheersen boven het 'ik' en 'zij' gevoel.
De  traditionele  Surinaamse 'zij in Holland' en 'wij in Suriname' focus krijgt steeds meer een 'zij in Suriname' en 'wij in Holland' invalshoek voor vele duizenden Nederlandse burgers met Surinaamse roots die zich identificeren als Surinamers in de Diaspora. Het valt niet langer te ontkennen dat behalve de  door de Nederlandse overheid als 'ongewenste vreemdeling" aangemerkte Surinaamse repatrianten, ook steeds grotere aantallen Nederlander van Surinaamse komaf remigreren naar hun geboorteland, na jarenlang  verblijf in Nederland.

De exodus uit Suriname van jonge en opgeleide arbeidskrachten in de zeventiger ,tachtiger en negentiger jaren van de vorige eeuw, heeft een groot gat geslagen in de Surinaamse bevolkingssamenstelling. Anno 2015 zien wij dat het gat tussen  de jonge en oudere Surinamer weliswaar niet helemaal gedicht is, maar niet langer verlammend werkt op de economische ontwikkeling. De opgeleide oudere repatriant uit Nederland die zich weer heeft gevestigd in Suriname, merkt dat er een nieuwe Surinaamse generatie jonge arbeiders, wetenschappers, verpleegkundigen, landbouwers, kunstenaars en winkeliers is die haar plek opeist en intussen geleerd heeft om samenwerking als positief te ervaren.

Vanuit een koloniaal perspectief nam men vroeger aan dat de Surinamer uit de Diaspora beter in staat zou zijn de Surinaamse problemen op te lossen. Nu blijkt steeds meer dat wie de kennis  van de lokale situatie ontbeert, grote moeite zal hebben om samen te werken en te voldoen aan lokale behoeften  op basis van  lokale inzichten. De oplossingen voor ontwikkeling in Suriname komen van de lokale bevolking die samenwerking door vallen en opstaan heeft eigen gemaakt.
De opdracht om samen te werken om ontwikkeling tot stand te brengen veronderstelt besef dat samenwerken geven en nemen is op basis van gelijkheid en op basis van kennis en inzicht in de te bereiken doelen.  Surinamers zullen onze  toekomst veilig stellen door inzicht in onze werkelijkheid te vertalen in projecten, plannen en systematische realisatie van gemeenschappelijke doelen. Zonder samenwerking is dit een onmogelijke opgave. Wanneer er sprake is van samenwerking is niets onmogelijk, integendeel blijkt meer gerealiseerd te worden dan men ooit voor mogelijk hield in Suriname.

Climate of change in Suriname

Suriname's new dawn is rising and  new hopes are soaring sky high. The victorious party in Suriname's May 25th election is definitely the National Democratic Party led by President  D. D. Bouterse. Recent election results show that the V7 coalition led by C. Santokhi has lost  while V7 coalition is said to fall apart after internal  tensions started surfacing.

Indigenous Surinamese in festive dress

Understanding Surinamese politics is easy if one understands the workings of a post colonial political system  traditionally based mainly on divide and rule, and ethnic affiliations to politics and power. Suriname was colonized by the British, French and Dutch for more than three centuries and the process of decolonization has only recently begun in 1975, when Suriname became an independent republic.

19th century painting of  Dutch slaveship in Paramaribo

Today's generation of young  post revolution politicians in Suriname wants to be part of global developments and presents Surname as an independent nation. Suriname's young voter generation wants to connect with the economic, social and political advances made by newly independent nations who finally control their own natural resources. South-South cooperation and BRICS oriented development will replace the traditionally European focus in Suriname. Expectations are high and the refusal to accept any delay in progressive development and  sharing of wealth, puts a lot of pressure on any to be formed next government .

Surinamese young men from Saramacca district

After all, voters expect that  the promises made during the election campaign trail will materialize. In spite of attempts by the opposition  to belittle the political awareness and choice of the majority of Surinamese voters, it is clear the majority vote given to Bouterse to reign five more years, has a lot to do with expectations people have that his new approach might lead to satisfactory results.

Surinamese youths in  Saramacca District

Suriname is going through a period of  transition in which  fundamental changes in  education, economics and production  are geared towards shaking off heavy burdens belonging to our  colonial past. In an attempt to  reinvent our own  values, the Surinamese voters have said yes to policies of change and modern development .

Capital Paramaribo view of H.J.Arron street

 Most Surinamese voters  understood that  investment must be given time to yield results.  Increase in productivity and development of  workers, teachers, nurses and  owners of factories, offices and companies  is expected to result in change both nationally and internationally. Surinamese voters after all want better living conditions and greater wealth for all Surinamese.

 Madamme Jeanette fresh peppers

 Export quality Surinamese Ocra 

The choice to unite and profit from all cultural and ethnic skills and knowledge available in our 

population was the best choice and the voters who are mostly young voters have definitely made that choice .The historic first ever win of one party with a multi-ethnic and pro-Caribbean/Latin American orientation has left the traditional coalition of ethnically based  Europe focused parties without weapons to fight the new situation. The first ever  newly elected parliament with  a record number of women is another victory for the advocates of change in Suriname.

Indigenous Surinamese women in festive dress

The fact remains however. that identification of more than 300.000 Dutch Surinamese in Europe, with Surinamese in the Caribbean, will  continue to affect the Surinamese decolonization process. New media and global village awareness will make the decolonization of Surinamese minds a dynamic and life changing experience.

 Colonial buste in Presidential palace gardens

There are many ways to interpret the election results, but general view is that a definite breech has been made with the way politics were done in the past. It is up to the next generation to do better and to give the voters what they need. A one party controlled parliament with an increased number of women is expected to deliver top notch laws and must represent  voters who gave them the chance to do their job.

Javanese and Carib inhabitants of Suriname

In a few months it will become clear if the voters were right and if the new government is able to do the many jobs  that lay ahead. For now everyone in Suriname is trying to get used to the new political climate of change and young energetic expectations.

Beads and mirrors

The 'beads and mirrors bargain' at the time of slavery which was taught to me at elementary school in the Netherlands seemed so silly at the time. I always wondered why people would accept beads and mirrors in exchange for human beings.

The idea of African stupidity and ignorance was pumped into my educational package which comprised western racist depiction of Africans as sub-human, incapable of intelligent enterprise and physically only fit to be  used like cattle or as servants to white men and women. I vividly remember how my classmate in Amsterdam once looked at me in surprise when I told her I saw myself as Surinamese and not as Dutch. Her answer still rings in my ears, 'but you speak Dutch so fluently" implying how could you be Surinamese if you speak Dutch so well. The cultural awareness of a 15 year old black girl in the Netherlands before independence and before the revolution was basically colonial.

My father pointed out to me what independence and decolonization meant for Suriname by being a political activist in the Party National Republic which opposed Dutch colonialism in the sixties and seventies of the 20th century. My parents also taught me about  their love for Suriname  when they sang for me and my sisters. 'Sranan mi kondre abra watra, mi lobi mi lobi yu fu tru'. Suriname my country overseas, I love you, I truly love you.

The mirrors and beads which were a history book item  for me have today come alive in a different way. They have  become a matter of recognition of African history before colonialism invaded the continent and destroyed whole generations and depleted  vast areas of west African territory of its population.

The beads suddenly come back to life as authentic and legitimate elements of African culture and civilization long before a white colonial greedy trader ever used beads to buy slaves.

As it turns out Africans from the North to the South of the continent have used beads as valuable objects to pay for goods or to decorate themselves or as ornaments.

The Egyptians used metal coins and beads made of bone and glass  and later the  famous Venetian beads with the floral patters also known as mille fiori   were accepted forms of payment and are even today considered highly valued treasures. Traders in African markets today still sell colorful glass beads.

The idea of western commerce as the seat of civilization is no longer valid but it must be said that the boost in glass bead production in Italy and England had much to do with slave trade and  the way slave traders paid for their human cargo.  The large quantities of beads were used as  ballast in slave ships and used to trade with Africans.  The culture which considered beads a treasure was trading its people   for beads. The mirrors which  linked  humans with that other magical spiritual world were used to trick aristocrats into arms deals. The African continent still feels the aftermath of this beads and mirrors trading era in which western traders made good use of cultural values of African leaders and traded beads for people . The beads were not so silly after all, the value of mille fiori glass beads in African history is immeasurable. African royals who wore the expensive beads and adorned their homes with precious beads have paid a high price.

 Today the cultural and political awareness of a descendant of Africans who were transported to the Americas is raised a little by information found about the rich and influential bead history of many nations on the African Continent. More information about African Trade beads  can be found on the website: www.ezakwantu.com