Caribbean Ties at Anton de Kom University
The Anton de Kom University of Suriname in Paramaribo hosted the Caribbean Ties Exhibition in collaboration with Directoraat Cultuur. The opening of the exhibition took place in the week of the 15th of July. Prior to the opening a symposium was held with speakers from Suriname and The Netherlands. Caribbean Ties was presented in English and in Dutch.
Opening Caribbean Ties at the Anton de Kom University, Paramaribo (all photos courtesy of AdKU).
Caribbean Ties at Festival of Freedom
The Caribbean Ties exhibition was on display on the Festival of Freedom - Pe W'e Go" in Suriname in celebration of the 1st of July "Keti Koti" or abolition of slavery at ArtBlok from 30th of June till the 2nd of July. Besides the exhibition with some new archaeological objects, also art, music, spoken word, a lecture, and film were on display.
Photos courtesy of Irene Meulenberg
Caribbean Ties at the 43rd CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting
Caribbean Ties goes to the 43rd CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Suriname. Part of the
Caribbean Ties exhibition is displayed at Torarica, Paramaribo from 3rd till 5th of July, where participants of the 43rd CARICOM Heads of Government Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have the opportunity to see the exhibition. Some finds from Suriname, which were found during the past years are on display, as well as replica's from the Caribbean.
Ten thousand years ago Suriname was home to the first groups of Indigenous peoples. On the coast, our pre-colonial heritage includes coastal earthworks or mounds, used for water management to support ground crop subsistence. The so-called Tropical Forest Culture was the lifeway of the rainforest dwellers which continues to exist up until today. Already in pre-colonial times, Amerindian groups maintained active trade relationships over long distances by the rivers.
Archaeology sheds light on the dynamics between Indigenous peoples and those of African and European descent. In Suriname it can enhance awareness and more mutual respect between different groups of peoples.
Mapping the cultural resources is one of the responsibilities of archaeology and as such it can be a valuable tool in land and human rights disagreements. Archaeological heritage management can help regulate practices of natural resource extraction and government policies about (in)tangible heritage.