Suriname celebrates 50 years of independence from Netherlands
Today, Suriname is celebrating 50 years of independence from the Netherlands. Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof is attending the celebrations in the South American country. The Netherlands counts many Surinamese residents, and several festivities are happening here as well.
After 300 years as a Dutch colony, Suriname gained its freedom on 25 November 1975.
To mark the occasion of 50 years of independence, King Willem-Alexander will open the Suriname Museum in Amsterdam today. The Dutch King will get a tour of the opening exhibition, Meet Su, Meet Us. There will also be opening performances by Jeangu Macrooy and others.
Rotterdam, which counts approximately 50,000 residents of Surinamese descent, is hosting multiple festivities to celebrate Suriname’s independence. Over the weekend, there was the Sranan Poku Concert in De Doelen and a theater performance, market, and live performances at Museum Fenix. The museum is opening an exhibition of art related to Suriname on Tuesday, telling the story of 50 people who have a connection to the history of Suriname and the Netherlands.
On Saturday, December 6, the Liberdade x Srefi conference will be held at the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam to celebrate the liberation of Suriname as well as Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
In the past 50 years, over 250,000 Surinamese people have moved to the Netherlands. Currently, around 181,000 people born in Suriname still live in the Netherlands. That is quite a significant number, given that the country’s population is only 640,000.
