The Suriname contingent yesterday presented several pieces of Maroon art to Guyana’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport at the Umana Yana.

Artistic Director of the Surinamese contingent, Hank Tjon (left) explains the meaning of some of the pieces to Minister of Culture, Frank Anthony at the Umana Yana yesterday. Suriname’s Permanent Secretary of Culture, Sidoel Stanley (centre) watches on.

The items were offered as a token of friendship to Guyana, Suriname’s Permanent Secretary of Culture, Sidoel Stanley told Stabroek News.

Minister of Culture, Frank Anthony expressed his gratitude and said that the items will be allocated a special area in the Walter Roth museum.

Members of the ‘Kifoko’ contingent dressed in their traditional wear pose for a photograph.

Some of the intricately designed pieces which are the work of the two major Maroon groups in Suriname – Saramacca and Ndyuka – were also on exhibition at the Umana Yana yesterday.

The ‘Kifoko’ group which is a Maroon dance group that has been around for some 12 years performed traditional maroon dances, accompanied by drumming from young men of the same group. One of the pieces was symbolically handed over to the Minister by Suriname’s Minister of Regional Development Michael Falesisi who gave a speech in ‘Sranan Tongo’ (Suriname’s tongue) which was interpreted by Suriname’s Artistic Director, Hank Tjon.

Maroons from the Surinamese contingent perform a dance called “Umandaywe” at the Umana Yana yesterday.

Tjon later told Stabroek News that each of the designs on the pieces is a part of a non-verbal means of communicating, a huge part of Maroon culture.