King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will arrive in the South
American country of Suriname on Monday for a three-day State Visit,
and here’s everything you need to know.
This state visit is billed as
one that will highlight the cooperation between Suriname and
the Netherlands and the close ties that still exist between both
countries, and one that will “focus on our collaboration,
exchanges, and future partnerships in numerous areas,”
according to the Dutch Royal Court.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will arrive at the
Presidential Palace in the capital city of Paramaribo, where they
will be officially welcomed by President Jennifer
Geerlings-Simons.
Following meetings with President Geerlings-Simons and
government representatives, the royal couple will lay a wreath at
the statue of ‘Mother Suriname’, Mama Sranan, the representation of
the country. The statue cradles five children in her arms,
representing the five population groups of Suriname: Indigenous
Peoples, Creoles, Hindustani and Javanese, Chinese and Europeans.
It was unveiled in 1965 by King Willem-Alexander’s grandmother,
Queen Juliana.
After this, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will travel
to the National Assembly, where the Dutch King will give a speech
to its 51-member Parliament. In the afternoon, the royal couple
will travel to the Court of Justice to speak with the President of
the Court and learn about the judicial independence of
Suriname.
Later in the afternoon, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima
will meet with descendants of enslaved peoples and with the
Indigenous communities of Suriname to learn about past experiences
and what they’re working on for the future.
The final event of the day will be a State Banquet hosted by
President Geerlings-Simons.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will begin their second
day in Suriname at Villa Zapakara, an educational arts foundation
that encourages young people by teaching them how culture and
nature can be used to inspire themselves.
Afterwards, the royal couple will visit the Natural Technology
Institute and tour the facilities and meet with students in the
electrical engineering and offshore energy sector programs. They
will also attend a hackathon hosted by Deltares, which will teach
them more about the water, climate and urban life in Suriname.
Finally, the royal couple will meet with Surinamese students
that participated in the Food Systems and Innovation
Challenge—which was organised, in part, by the Netherlands Food
Partnership—to hear the ideas they had for sustainability in the
food sphere.
Later in the day, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will
visit the Latour Neighbourhood Work Foundation to meet the children
and young people who benefit from this multipurpose community
centre.
The royal couple will also visit the Fernandes Bottling Company
to hear about production and sustainability before joining the
closing ceremony of a CEO Roundtable that has been focusing on
economics, sustainability and green practices between Surinamese
and Dutch companies.
In the evening, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will host
a cultural reception for their hosts at the Theatre Thalia. Joining
Surinamese artists is Sabrina Starke, a Dutch artist of Surinamese
descent, for a tableaux performance highlighting the shared culture
of both countries.
On their final day in Suriname, King Willem-Alexander and Queen
Máxima will sail down the Suriname River and the Commewijne River
as they learn more about the importance of water and forests,
particularly through the rivers and the mangroves, to the
ecological, economic and spiritual wellbeing of the country.
After docking at the Johanna Margaretha village on the bank of
the Commewijne River, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will
meet with villagers to learn more about their way of life and how
they keep their history alive at the Frederiksdorp Education
Centre.
The royal couple will then travel to the Frederiksdorp Education
Centre to view materials related to the area’s past, including a
diorama entitled ‘Life on the Plantation’, and to meet with
historians, archaeologists and archivists to talk about their work
and how the shared histories of Suriname and the Netherlands have
been entwined throughout the years.
To close out their visit to Suriname, King Willem-Alexander and
Queen Máxima will attend a reception for the Dutch community living
within the country to hear more about their experiences living in
Suriname.
Suriname declared itself independent of Dutch rule in 1975,
though the country still maintains ties with the Netherlands. Dutch
is still the prevailing and official language in the country,
though there are eight recognised indigenous languages spoken.
This is King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima’s first State
Visit to Suriname. On 25 November, the Dutch King paid a visit to
the Suriname Museum in Amsterdam to celebrate 50 years of
Surinamese independence and to officially open the new historical
and cultural space.
