Sranan kulturu

In the whole of the Caribbean( if not the world), there is not one country with such a diverse population as Suriname.

No sidon na bakra sturu fu seri yu nengre oso bangi (Do not renounce your roots).

This was the theme of the cultural show (Kotoshow) held in New York on April 10. The show featured a colorful display of Afro-Surinamese folklore. The history of the traditional dresses (*Koto) and headwear (angisa) was highlighted as well as the traditional Afro-Surinamese music (*Kawina). In an entertaining , yet educational way, typical scenes of the way of life of Surinamese women (during and after slavery) were presented. The event was an initiative of Wi Sani, Suriname American Federation, Inc, and Jerome Best. The President of the cultural organization Naks in Suriname, Elfriede Baarn, contributed a lot of her expertise, and basically was responsible for the presentation. Her daughter Jennifer, excelled as a copresentator. MC Henry Elcock proved to be an artist of the spoken word. (Music by Kawinaband Body & Soul) Click for a Realaudio presentation of the show (part1). part2

* Koto- A way of clothing designed and imposed by jealous white women, to cover the curvaceous bodies of the Surinamese slave women. * Kawina -Typical style of playing drums. Traditional drums, especially the apintie drum, were prohibited because they were used as communication between Maroons and slaves.

Treaty of Ouca: Reasons To Celebrate?

By Janina Rubinowitz

October 10, 2001, and the Ndjuka Maroons in the rainforest of Suriname will be celebrating the 241st anniversary of the Treaty of Ouca. How is freedom going in the forest this year? How is medical care? How is the availability of schools for children and older students. How is the general welfare of the Maroon communities? My last trip in February 2001 was to bring medical equipment on behalf of the humanitarian aide organization which I have formed which is called Rainforest Skylift. Walkers, quad canes, toothbrushes, wheelchairs, stethoscopes, reading glasses, otoscopes, a binocular microscope and other medical necessities were flown in and distributed. This September, I received word that a good friend in Diitabiki had had a stroke. I was sad to hear of her ill health but grateful that a wheelchair was available to her to use so that she can move between her own home and that of her husband next door. Reading glasses that provide simple magnification so that elders can once again thread a needle or pull a thorn out of their foot...have been provided now for more than one hundred elders in the Lon Wata area of the Tapanahony. Another 100+ pairs of glasses will go on the next trip in January. Stretchers now have been distributed to seven villages in the Lon Wata area. These soft stretchers make it possible to carry injured people with dignity to transportation for further medical help. We are hoping to get stretchers for another 14 villages by January. A fetal doppler machine was donated to the clinic at Diitabiki so that pregnancies can be scanned to see if multiple births are expected. In that way, the deliveries can be arranged to happen in Paramaribo or Stoelmanseiland Hospital, with a doctor present.

If you live in the greater New York area and you have a wheelchair to donate.......you can contact us. We might be able to bring it to the forest. We also collect contributions which are used to pay for the transport of all of this gear into the forest. No one in Rainforest Skylift receives a salary or any money for services.....All contributions go directly to assist elderly Maroons and soon, to some Wayana villages as well. You can send contributions to Rainforest Skylift, Box 723, Shrub Oak, New York 10588. They will be acknowledged. We are a non-profit corporation. Help bring reasons for celebration to the first culture in the western hemisphere to make a treaty of independence.......let them celebrate your caring and your recognition of their plight.

For more on the Ndyuka in Suriname click here...

Obiah Oso