SURINAME
The Wandering Songs team was in Suriname from February to May 2026. During this period, we connected with musicians whose work reflects locally rooted musical practices and living cultural heritage. We recorded more than ninety songs with sixteen Surinamese groups representing a range of cultural musical traditions. We will return to Suriname in February 2027 to continue our recording tour.
While editing is currently taking place, the first videos are online now.
Stay tuned for many more to come!
Sambura Woyupore
Sambura Woyupore, meaning “Echo of My Drum,” is a group known for performing Kali’na Indigenous music. According to Merselino Liguori, chairman of the group:
“The drum has long been seen, across many cultures, as the heartbeat of Mother Earth. Its rhythm is not just sound, it is life itself. The echo that follows is more than repetition; it is the continuation of that life force, moving through time and space. When we strike the drum, we remind ourselves that we are alive. Each vibration carries the voices of our ancestors, resonating within us and connecting us to something greater, the universe as a whole.
The echo is also a spiritual mirror. It always returns to its source, reflecting integrity and authenticity. What we send out into the world comes back to us. The echo of the drum invites us to act with a pure heart, to move with intention, and to leave behind a resonance that is powerful, healing, and filled with love.”
SCV Paremuru
SCV Paremuru is a leading Surinamese cultural organization. For over 30 years, it has been actively dedicated to preserving, promoting, and passing on Surinamese Indigenous culture. The organization serves as an important platform for showcasing and keeping alive the rich Carib traditions, with special focus on songs, dances, and rituals that are passed down from generation to generation.
Within Indigenous culture, music, song and dance play an essential role in spiritual and social events. Instruments such as the karawasi (woven shaker made of reeds), marakka (hollowed-out gourd filled with stones) and sambura (drum made from hollowed-out wood, covered with skin on both sides) convey not only rhythm, but also meaning, memory and a connection to ancestors.
NAKS Ala Firi
These recordings were made at NAKS in Suriname and features the work of the NAKS Ala Firi department, which is dedicated to preserving and showcasing Afro-Surinamese musical and cultural traditions.
Ala Firi maintains a rich and diverse repertoire that includes devotional songs, Sokopsalms, Kriyoro dron, Aukan, Saramaccan, and African musical traditions. The choir performs songs that honor and commemorate ancestors, preserving stories and memories passed down through generations.
Many of these songs reflect the social lives, struggles, resilience, and experiences of Afro-Surinamese communities before and after the period of slavery. In this sense, they can be compared to the Afro-American spirituals, as both traditions serve as powerful expressions of history, identity, remembrance, and cultural continuity.
NAKS Kwanzaa
NAKS Kwanzaa showcases Afro-Surinamese culture through song and dance, primarily in the traditional Kawina style. Kwanzaa originally serves as a celebration of gratitude for the first harvests. Four elements play a major role in Kwanzaa: unity, awareness of ancestors and heritage, reaffirmation of traditional values, and honoring the creator and creation.
Instruments used are the Koti (small drum played with a stick and hand), Kwabangi (wooden bench played with metal rods), Tinbal (large drum), Skratyi deksel (bass drum with a small cymbal), and Sik sikie (shaker).
Moksi Alesi
Moksi Alesi is a talented group of women from Awarradam, performing traditional Seketti, Awasa, and Banamba dances. Awarradam is the last of 74 villages located along the Suriname River. We were hosted by the Awarradam Jungle Resort, and the soothing sound of water in the recordings comes from the nearby sula(river rapids).
Selection (Brass Band)
Most members of the Brass Band Selection are police officers, and all are members of the Police Band. Having played together for more than three years, they perform energetic Kaseko medleys.
The instruments used include saxophones, trumpet, tuba, snare drum, percussion, and ‘Skratjie deksel’ (a bass drum with a small cymbal attached).
Bongo Charly
Bongo Charly first gained recognition as a percussionist with Blackfrost. Today, he lives a more quiet and withdrawn life, focusing almost entirely on his own creative process.
He now dedicates himself to crafting unique, self-made instruments, pieces that are guided purely by his imagination and curiosity. Many of his instruments are inspired by nature, shaped by organic forms and natural acoustics, while others are ingeniously built from discarded materials, giving new life to what others might consider waste.
Sö u dë kaa
Kram (Robert Jabini), Dwight (Sampie), and Drama are three relatives from Nieuw Aurora, a village along the Suriname River. They perform songs in Saramaccan and Aukaans, accompanied by guitar.
Teke Lelie
In Moengo (eastern Suriname), we recorded the dance groups of Tresna Pinas. These groups are called Teke Lelie, which means “learn something.” Tresna teaches children and young adults various styles of Aukan dance, with the aim of preserving Maroon culture.
Her father plays the Apinti drum and is one of the few people in Suriname who still masters the language of the Apinti. During the recording, three different dances were performed: Aleke, Awasa, and Songé.
Kathedrale Jongerenkoor Suriname
The Kathedrale Jongerenkoor Suriname (Cathedral Youth Choir Suriname), founded in 2009, is a prominent youth choir affiliated with the School for Young Talent Suriname. Formerly led by Albert Arens and now under the direction of Laurence Gudge, the choir is based in Paramaribo and serves as a breeding ground for vocal talent. It performs at (church) events and has collaborated with international artists such as Holland Baroque.
Clarence, Bennie & Gofer Donoe
This group consists of Clarence (Bamo) Donoe, Bennie Donoe, and Gofer Donoe from Jaw Jaw, a riverside village in the interior of Suriname. We had a great afternoon recording five songs with these kind gentlemen!
Serah Heyns
Serah Heyns performs her beautiful original song ‘Ien Yu Ai’, a Sranan Tongo phrase that translates to ‘In your gaze’, and can be interpreted as ‘The way you see me’.
More videos are on the way!
We’ve recorded several other groups, their video’s are currently being edited.
Stay tuned for the next releases featuring:
*Tei Wei Sponsor (Gunsi)
*’Purwa Laras’ Surinamese Gamelan (Lelydorp)
*Dew (Paramaribo)
*’Langgam Mardika’ Javanese Gamelan (Paramaribo)