President: The power to heal ourselves

President Chan Santohi highlighted the horrific history of slavery in his address to the nation. He noted that the Netherlands apologized more than a year ago through Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Suriname was surprised by this but immediately took steps to hold structured consultations together with the Netherlands to fill in the paragraph after Prime Minister Rutte’s comma. “Unfortunately, we have to conclude that the implementation of the decimal point has not made much progress after one year. There is still a lot that is not clear and the administrative formulation of the two promised funds took much longer than expected. But as Surinamese people, we should never forget that we, as a community and sovereign nation, also have the strength and ability to heal ourselves.”

Dear compatriots,

Today, we once again commemorate the abolition of slavery in our country on July 1, 1863. This moment reminds us of the mental and physical oppression our ancestors endured, an oppression that began before each slave was born and lasted for more than 200 years until their last day.

As each of us knows, 161 years after the abolition of slavery, it still has an impact on our behavior and the way we live with each other. The effects can still be felt, especially by the descendants of those who were enslaved. But these effects are not limited to the descendants of the enslaved. Slavery also indirectly affected other demographic groups in our society through social interactions with future generations and the humiliating contract labor system that followed slavery.

Transatlantic slavery opens up a horrific past that was fueled by the clever divide-and-conquer tactics employed by European slave recruiters as they set foot in Africa. These tactics were designed to pit our ancestors of African descent against each other and to transport rejected victims like cattle to perform inhumane labor in foreign lands.

It is important to recognize that we are still faced with various divide and conquer tactics. Sometimes even by our own people. But it is more important to recognize that the initiative to harm us no longer lies with the Europeans or others, but with ourselves.

Commemorating slavery is a national matter and as Surinamese we consciously choose to commemorate it every year with dignity. We prefer to do this in harmony and friendship with all population groups, including our white brothers and sisters from the Netherlands. We cannot change the past and we cannot hold anyone guilty for the crimes committed by our ancestors.

We do, however, expect our heirs to recognize their responsibility to acknowledge oppression and its consequences; to work with us to heal the wounds and to contribute to repairing the scars we bear to this day. We are still reminded of these scars when we experience personal discrimination and when we, as a people who have flown the Dutch flag for so many years, repeatedly face barriers to personal and financial transportation.

We expect that the descendants of slave owners, slave traders, financiers, and legislators will work with us to heal the deep wounds, but most importantly to ensure that these wounds are not reopened by the barriers that stand in the way of our people, who are inextricably linked to each and everyone else.

Last year, the Dutch government took the bold but welcome step of apologizing to the descendants of enslaved people. Although we had been calling for this for years, this announcement came as a surprise to all of us, and we have already expressed our gratitude for it many times. As a government, we immediately took steps to hold structured consultations with the Netherlands to fill in the paragraph after Prime Minister Rutte’s comma.

Unfortunately, we have to conclude that the explanation behind the decimal point has not made much progress after one year. There is still a lot that is unclear and the administrative formulation of the two promised funds is taking much longer than expected. But as Surinamese, we must not forget that we, as a community and sovereign nation, also have the power to heal ourselves.

We will use the apology as a source of inspiration and our own resilience and determination to heal the wounds of the past in order to achieve further progress as a nation. We will acknowledge and respect our history, but at the same time work to identify the negative consequences of slavery and develop targeted policies to address them.

Our gaze should not dwell too long on the past. As a people, we must move forward with our heads held high. We have a duty to make our children aware of the terrible consequences of the abominable, deep-seated impulse that still lurks in many of us to dominate and rule over others based on their appearance, social status and orientation. We see evidence of this every day in the world news. But this latent impulse must give way to mutual respect and tolerance, recognizing the equality of each of us, regardless of our origins or beliefs.

As President, I have confidence in the people of Suriname today because I know that we have the strength to overcome the dark shadow of slavery. We have the power to learn from the mistakes of the past and strive for a better future. I call on you today to make a solemn commitment to ourselves and to each other. Let us commit to being a community guided by mutual respect and tolerance. Let us resist the urge to dominate and rule over others and instead strive for equality and mutual respect.

I believe in the power of our community to bring about this change. Together, we can be a source of light and hope for the world. Our commitment should not be limited to today, but we must fight every day for a world where no one is oppressed and the rich diversity (our bromki dyari) is celebrated. The sacrifices made by our ancestors must pave the way for a better society where all of us are free from mental slavery.

Sweet lovely day!