From August 26 to 28, 2011, the first Inter Guiana Cultural Festival was held in Paramaribo, Suriname. Artists from the three Guianas – French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana – met in various locations to exhibit their art, give workshops, and exchange information with fellow craftsmen. All workshops and exhibitions were free of charge.
Workshops on crafts, fashion, literature and visual arts
Friday August 26 was centred around workshops, which were held in the Louiseschool, at the Nola Hatterman Academy (Fort Zeelandia) and Thalia Theatre. Workshops on literature focused on three themes: prose, poetry and drama. Other artists shared their knowledge on fashion, visual arts and making cake decorations. The day ended in the Thalia Theatre with a Grand Opening where Suriname gave a dance performance.
Exchanges with writers and visual artists
On Saturday August 27, Fort Zeelandia hosted the literary program that was organised in cooperation with Schrijversgroep '77 (Writers Group '77). Popular on the bookstands were children’s books and classics. Writers gave presentations and visitors could have a chat with them throughout the day.
Monique Dorcy from Promolivres, an organisation in French Guiana that organises book fairs and literature festivals, was excited about the Inter Guiana Cultural Festival. "There is little or no exchange among our countries, on a literary level that is. One of the problems, evidently, is language. Our books are in French, Suriname's books primarily in Dutch and the Guyanese in English. This is a great place to meet with editors, publishers and writers from our neighbouring countries and discuss issues such as translations of their books in our language."
Visual arts at The Hall
The Hall at the Grote Combéweg exhibited visual arts, among which paintings, sculptures, wood art and photography. Michael Alleyne used this exhibition to present his new collection of bamboo art and furniture. The Guianese artist has a degree in bamboo techniques and is currently looking into opportunities to develop his work in Suriname.
Oscar Adogo (Suriname) was one of the sculptors present. He showed impressive woodworks, such as the delicate piece called "Day and Night" (see photo below).
Paul Fernandez (French Guiana) displayed a colourful series of acrylics on canvas (see photo below) that demonstrate universal symbols from cultures such as the Maroons, Hindus and Amerindians through the four elements (fire, wood, earth and water). He studied arts at the Nola Hatterman in Paramaribo and has exhibited his work in different countries, among which on the Antilles.
Photographer Karl Joseph came with his latest photo exhibition, which was well received in Cayenne (French Guiana). This French Guianese artist lives in France but returned to his homeland to photograph the diversity of his people, focusing on scenes from daily life. "I wanted portraits that French Guianese can identify with. This is not easy because although we have the binding identity of being French Guianese, we have separate identities as well like Maroon, Creole or Amerindian." The subject of his photographs fitted in well with the theme of the Inter Guiana Cultural Festival: Togetherness.
A collective artwork to symbolise Togetherness
Surinamese artists previously worked together on a collective project. Three large totem poles were created for the World Expo 2011 in Shanghai by Jhunry Udenhout, George Struikelbok, Soeki Irodikromo and Marcel Pinas. During this festival these pieces were exhibited in the Hall (see photo below).
Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to a collective visual art project that represents Togetherness (see photo below). Among the participating artists were Oscar Adogo, Perry and Jhunry Udenhout, Tjon Pian-Gi, Glenn Fungloy, Paul Fernandez and Kim Sonto Soemarto.
Kim Sonto Soemarto commented on the project. "We welded two statues from metal bars and are now covering them with aluminium foil and with cloths that have been soaked in hardener. Subsequently, they will be painted. This piece of art will serve as a remembrance of this first Inter Guiana Cultural Festival. The work will be on show in various places, starting at Zanderij Airport and subsequently rotating among government institutions."
Culinary and Musical performances in the Palmentuin
Sunday August 28 was the last day of the festival, with a continuation of the literary presentations at Fort Zeelandia and the visual arts exhibition at The Hall. At the Palmentuin culinary and cultural arts were presented by all three countries. There were musical performances, culinary presentations and visitors could taste the different dishes. Meanwhile they could talk with artists who were present with stands displaying and selling their products made of wood, textiles or jewellery, which were also for sale.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
