For those not in the know, Suriname used to be a Dutch colony until 1975. Until that time it a constituent part of the Kingdom and as such the House of Orange was well represented in street names, parks and official holidays such as Queen's Day.
After Independence many names were changed. The erstwhile Oranjeplein (Orange Square) is now Independence Square and the 30th of April (Queen's Day) is no longer a national holiday. Unlike some countries the Surinami did not tear down all the Dutch statues or try to erase the colonial past. Instead, the former heads of state we given a quiet pension in the shadow near the Suriname River. A good example is Queen Wilhelmina, whilst slightly defaced, was placed in a corner of Fort Zeelandia and now looks out into the interior of Suriname.
After Independence many names were changed. The erstwhile Oranjeplein (Orange Square) is now Independence Square and the 30th of April (Queen's Day) is no longer a national holiday. Unlike some countries the Surinami did not tear down all the Dutch statues or try to erase the colonial past. Instead, the former heads of state we given a quiet pension in the shadow near the Suriname River. A good example is Queen Wilhelmina, whilst slightly defaced, was placed in a corner of Fort Zeelandia and now looks out into the interior of Suriname.
2 comments:
God Save the Queen indeed! Are there still any relics reminding the curious of Surinams' glorious past as part of British Guiana?
Haven't seen any relics yet, although some place names are decidedly English (for example the town of Totness). You could say that the local language, Sranantongo, is a relic of a British past as it is largely based on English.
Post a Comment