Slaves, masters and maroons in Suriname

This booklet contains a collection of unwritten sources on slaves, masters and maroons (runaway slaves) in Suriname.
Why this subject? Suriname’s history is fascinating and should be studied for that reason alone. But there is more to it. About 40% of Suriname’s population is descended from the slaves. A large minority of them now live in the Netherlands.
Many Dutch people profited from slavery and the slave trade. The Surinamese are much more aware of this than (other) Dutch.
In most Dutch history school books as yet little or no attention has been paid to the Dutch slave trade and slavery. In school books, as well as for instance in television and films slavery in the United States has received much more attention.
Ignoring this black page in our national history is not good. The relations between blacks and whites in Suriname’s past still affect the relations between blacks and whites today. Both among blacks and whites the legacy of the slave period is still visible. And it is not so long ago.
As an introduction to the subject this booklet begins with an eighteenth century play situated on a Surinamese coffee plantation. Then there is a chapter explaining how the whites and the blacks got to Suriname, and what happened to the original Amerindian population.
It is intended that a picture story of fifteen illustrations be constructed from the illustrations on slavery in this booklet.

This publication is the PoD-version (publish on demand). Also available in a digital edition.

ISBN 9789073021150
A5, 68 pages, full colour

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