Papa Koenders: Mi tongo tru - première Sergio Ijssel

What if your mother tongue is not heard? If people say it is not a real language, but gibberish. That you cannot write poetry or stories in it. That is how Sranantongo was thought of for a long time.

Julius George Arnold Koenders, better known as Papa Koenders, fought for recognition of the values of the Afro-Surinamese community and of Sranantongo. He was born as the grandson of enslaved people and later became a teacher. Papa Koenders founded the monthly magazine Foetoe-Boi (‘errand boy’), because he wanted to be the errand boy of his mother tongue. The language of his heart.

Just like Anton de Kom, Papa Koenders was always sharply critical of Dutch colonialism. His work and ideas influenced, among others, politician Eddy Bruma and great Surinamese poets such as Trefossa and Michaël Slory. Discover the story of a man who gave his language a voice.