Srefidensi Dey – 50 years of Surinamese independence

• Date: 21 November
• Time: 19:00
• Location: Filmhuis Den Haag

Srefidensi Dey – 50 years of Surinamese independence

Film as a voice of freedom, resistance and identity

On 25 November 1975, Suriname officially gained independence from the Netherlands. Since then, this day has been celebrated as Srefidensi Dey: a moment of pride, independence and solidarity. However, the road to independence was not without struggle, it was a period of social movement, political awareness and artistic expression, in which film proved to be a powerful tool for stimulating change.

At Filmhuis Den Haag, in collaboration with The Hague Library, we are celebrating fifty years of Srefidensi with a special film programme focusing on the search for identity, freedom and community. We are screening three films, each offering a different perspective on this theme:

Oema Foe Sranan, Strijd en Waka nanga mi.

Oema Foe Sranan, the first film in Sranantongo, documents the independence movement and the role of women in it. At the time, the film was received as a powerful political and cultural statement: a film as a weapon, encouraging dialogue and reflection. The short documentary Strijd op 16mm (Struggle on 16mm) is about the making of this little-known film.

Waka nanga mi (“Walk with me”) focuses on the present and explores how the legacy of independence continues to influence identity, community and memory today.

Together, these films bring the past and present into conversation with each other. They show how film can function as an alternative historiography – a way of depicting reality from one's own perspectives. Fifty years after independence, that conversation remains relevant and necessary.

After the screenings, filmmakers Nadia Tilon and Evani Gilds will engage in a conversation with each other and the audience about the enduring significance of independence, resistance and imagination.

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