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Netherlands Marks 50 Years of Suriname’s Independence With Citywide Commemorations

Cultural programs in major Dutch cities honor the diaspora’s roots.

Overview

  • On 25 November, Rotterdam opens a Suriname-focused art exhibition at Museum Fenix and TV Rijnmond debuts the four-part series Fawaka Mi Mati airing from 17:18 with hourly repeats.
  • Recent and upcoming programming spans last weekend’s Sranan Poku Concert at De Doelen, a photo exhibition at Theater Zuidplein opening Saturday 29 November, the Liberdade x Srefi conference at Laurenskerk on Saturday 6 December, and a Surinamese film festival at Art Studio Hoogvliet on Saturday 13 December.
  • Community voices describe generational differences in how the anniversary is felt, with older residents emphasizing memory and pride while many younger people approach it mainly as a celebration.
  • The commemorations foreground a decades-long migration story, noting roughly 250,000 arrivals since 1975 and about 181,000 current Netherlands residents born in Suriname, including around 50,000 people of Surinamese background in Rotterdam.
  • In The Hague, the Surinamese Hindoestaanse community remains a prominent presence of over 60,000, exemplified by the family-run Bharat Kings shop that has operated on Paul Krugerlaan since 1972.