Mag Feb

I Am Made In February 2021 8
Suriname is geographically located on the north coast of South America, which
made it vulnerable to colonialisation. Thus, most believe that its history begins
as a “colony of England in 1650 and then from 1667 to 1954 a colony of the
Netherlands."
The history of Surinam began before Christ with the first communities of
Arowakken and Cariban indigenous, who established the foundations of Surinamese
culture with their sincere respect for nature.
Only recently did the English, French and Dutch enter Surinamese waters with
their ideas of commerce and colonization. They occupied the lands with plantations
and brought African slaves, who mainly fled into the jungle and resumed
their West African culture in the so-called "maroon (runaway slave) villages.”
Here they formed a community, a family, built on (and connected by) blood,
sweat and tears.
When slavery in Suriname was officially abolished on July 1, 1863, Indonesian,
Indian and Chinese immigrants came and shared their own cultural identity.
Although they were treated better than slaves, they too suffered from poor
provision and gender inequality with a discernible income gap.
By fighting for their rights, and above all, by respecting each other's customs,
they formed a society with multicultural cuisines, coutures, languages and holidays.
This gave Surinam, the smallest country in South America, the biggest
personality.
Parade van vrouwen in koto’s (Surinam traditional garb)
The five points of the yellow star in the flag of Suriname represent the five predominant
population groups.
Written by: Sabrinah S. Van de L’Isle
Read full blog at: https://iammadein.com/suriname/blog/13807/we-are-whowe-are-no-matter-how-small