Suriname Culture

Suriname Culture and Mass Media

Newspapers in Suriname

According to A2ZGOV.COM, Suriname is a country located in South America. In Suriname there are two newspapers, De West (edition: about 15,000 copies) and De Ware Tijd (about 10,000 copies), both in Dutch, privately owned and politically independent. Although there is no formal censorship, the government has great influence over them, as well as over radio and TV.

There is both state and private radio. Most important is the State Stichting Radio Omroep Suriname (SRS). The radio broadcasts mainly in Dutch, but also in Hindi and local languages. State television started in 1965 and broadcasts in two channels, one commercial and one subscription TV. There are 729 radio and 253 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).

Culture

According to AREACODESEXPLORER.COM, Surinamese literature is mainly written in Dutch or the Creole language sranan tongo. But there is literature in a further ten of the country’s languages.

Before independence in 1975, a large part of Surinam’s intellectuals, including writers, moved to the Netherlands.

Surinam’s various folk groups all have their own music traditions. Typical instruments are the Indian bamboo flutes, the maroons’ drums of various kinds, and the Creole’s small guitar called cuatro. At Creole parties, sometimes caseko bands play with clarinet, saxophone, banjo and percussion. Among the Javanese are orchestras who perform their traditional gamelan music.

Suriname Culture

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