Director John Leerdam (left) on stage with actor Michiel Blankwaardt (second from right), and script writers Paulette Smith (second from left), Rudy Lion Sjin Tjoe (centre) and Remco Meijer (right). (Suzanne Koelega photo)
AMSTERDAM--It was a daring choice: putting Suriname’s current President Desi Bouterse at the centre of the fifth edition of the theatre production the Suriname Monologues, which took place in Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk last Friday.
Bouterse, both loved and hated, is the man who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Court Martial for his alleged role in the December murders, the event where 15 prominent Suriname persons, including five journalists and three persons who were born in Curaçao and Aruba, were executed on December 8, 1982.
Directed by John Leerdam of Caribbean/Suriname descent, and acted by Michiel Blankwaardt, the Suriname Monologues’ edition about Bouterse tells the story of journalist Rudy Lion Sjin Tjoe who travelled to Suriname shortly after the December murders to write for several Dutch media about the horrendous event which shook the foundations of the country and resulted in much consternation throughout the Dutch Kingdom. To this day, it remains a highly controversial and painful historic event.
In 2010, Lion Sjin Tjoe went back to Suriname and interviewed Bouterse during the latter’s campaign trail for presidency. The obvious fear and intimidation that the journalist experienced, was well-represented by actor Blankwaardt. In between acts, Blankwaardt masterfully played the role of a person possessed by spirits which gave the theatre production an extra dimension of suspense.
The memories of Lion Sjin Tjoe serve as the basis for the script which he wrote together with Curaçao actress/playwright Paulette Smit and de Volkskrant newspaper journalist Remco Meijer. The audience at Friday’s performance showed much appreciation and it gave the director, actor, musicians, production crew and script writers a standing ovation.
A joint production of the Foundation Julius Leeft! and the Nieuwe Kerk, the Suriname Monologues featured four earlier theatrical performances about six well-known persons who defined the Suriname history: resistance fighter/anti-colonialist Anton de Kom, the first Suriname President Johan Ferrier, actress/artist Nola Hatterman who set up the first arts academy in Paramaribo, and three influential politicians Henck Aaron, Jagernath Lachman and Johan Pengel.
The last in the series of the Suriname Monologues on January 14 and 15 will feature Suriname’s first black female doctor Sophie Redmond. All six editions were directed by Leerdam. The Suriname Monologues are part of the Great Suriname Exhibition, a large, fascinating exposition which tells the story of the former Dutch colony. The Nieuwe Kerk welcomed the 100,000th visitor on Monday.
