AFRO-SURINAMESE MUSIC

Abstract

The African slaves who were brought to Suriname in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries originated from powerful people who at the time were endowed with a rich culture. These people from the African Gold Coast (now Ghana), the Slave Coast (Togo, Benin, and Nigeria), Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Congo all had cultures based on oral traditions. Of extreme importance is the Winti religion, on which nearly all Afro-Surinamese music is based. Nonetheless, the Afro-Surinamese culture that grew from this was anything but uniform. To be sure, the slaves were spread across the plantations, without regard to their country of origin, but they in turn were extremely isolated from one another. In this way, for instance, each plantation had its own Winti songs, which were later named after the plantation where they were created. And soon thereafter small groups of runaway slaves were formed, who all created their own music.